Strange New World
by strange oblivion
Summary: Dean and Sam Winchester go to sleep in 1993, and awaken in 2020 after the destruction of Manticore
1. Awakening

Authors' Note: The evil plot bunnies have mated again. I got Everfaithful addicted to Dark Angel, and this is what came out. We're totally screwing with canon on both shows, but it's all in good fun! We're also addicted to reviews, so help us out!

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Sam stayed close to his brother as they walked through the streets of Seattle. They had been to Seattle once before, and this was nothing like he remembered it. Nothing was like Sam remembered it, but he didn't say it out loud. Dean knew. How could he not?

They were shooed away from most of the city, because they didn't have the right papers to get past the gates, and now it was getting late and Sam was hungry and tired. He didn't complain about the empty tummy, and pointedly ignored its growling. But tired was much harder to let go of and he found himself leaning against his brother as they walked, very nearly asleep on his feet.

"Okay." Dean said. He was hungry and tired too. And confused. This wasn't the world he remembered, where you needed basically a passport to cross certain streets. Maybe into Mexico, but not a street. A lot of people with guns walking around, driving home the fact that he was defenseless right now. But he found an old apartment building. "Should be some place in here. Come on, Sammy, let's find somewhere to sleep." Food would have to wait until tomorrow.

Sam nodded. "Okay." He said and looked around them. Everyone looked like the sort of person their father warned them to stay away from. He was doing his best to be brave in the face of this strange new world but 10 wasn't a particularly brave age. But he had his pride, he wasn't a little kid after all. He wasn't going to embarrass his brother like that. He didn't even fuss when Dean opened an apartment door that looked like it had been kicked in recently and followed him inside. It made all the cheap hotels they had lived in look good, but it was someplace inside, where they could try and figure things out...some place that meant he didn't have to keep walking.

Dean sat on the floor. There was a lot to figure out, and he wasn't sure how. First, they had to find their father. Okay, second, they had to find their father. First, they'd have to eventually eat. He got up and started to pace, running across an old worn newspaper. "Sam...." He said, before he thought better of it. The date was completely wrong.

Sam went to his brother's side "What is it?" He asked. And glanced at the news paper. "That can't be right." He said, going to pick it up. "Can it?" He asked looking up at his brother for confirmation.

"No, it can't be right." Dean said, shaking his head. "That's impossible." A lot of things were impossible. He shook his head again. "Maybe it will all make sense in the morning."

"Maybe it's someone's old joke newspaper. They make them look like old time newspapers. Kevin Gilbert had one in my class that he got from the fair. Had a picture of him as a wanted bank robber and everything. Maybe this was just one that made up to look like it was from the future or something." Sam suggested and started to walk around the apartment. There was one bedroom, and it had a mattress on the floor. It looked terrible but it was a mattress at least. He wanted to cry but didn't. Dean would be upset if he cried. "How are we gonna find Dad?" He asked instead. "Maybe we could find a phone somewhere tomorrow and call Pastor Jim, he always knows how to find Dad."

"Good plan." Dean said as he found a tattered thin blanket. "We'll do that in the morning. He'll take collect calls from us." He was so tired. "Come on, we've slept on worse mattresses. Remember the one in the motel that we got lice from? This one already looks better."

"Dad was so mad about that too." Sam said. "Then he took us training for a week since the school said we couldn't come back until they were gone. I hated that place." He said, getting onto the mattress. "We don't have any salt, do we?" He said, suddenly feeling very much vulnerable. There was no salt, no weapons. Nothing to keep them safe if something came to get them, and something had already been to this place once to kick the door in.

"It was funny seeing Dad have it out with the motel manager though." Dean said. "No salt." They weren't even in their own clothes. They were basically in hospital scrubs. "But we gotta sleep."

Sammy nodded and lay back on the mattress, using his arm for a pillow. "We're gonna be okay though. I know we will." Because he had faith in his brother. Dean always knew what to do. He was in high school now. That meant he knew lots of stuff and how to do things. Their dad would be looking for them too. He'd find them, and he would be proud of them for getting away on their own.

"Yeah, we will be." Dean said. He'd always make sure his kid brother was safe. This was no different. "Night Sammy." He'd sleep, he was exhausted, but he would try to keep one eye open. Just in case.

"Night, Dean." Sammy said and closed his eyes. Morning came early, and he wakened to the sounds of people out in the halls. Noisy people, arguing, laughing coughing. Just going about their every day morning lives, as though this place was perfectly normal, as though it were all they had ever known. He sat up in the bed and wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

"Morning, Sammy." Dean said as he handed his brother some bread. "People next door have some food. They might miss it, might not." He said with a shrug. His brother needed it more than they did.

"Thanks." He said and took half of the bread, leaving the rest for his brother. "It will be good to see Pastor Jim again." Sam said. "He'll come get us. And then we'll find Dad. All we have to do is find a phone and hope we can get to a place he can get into."

"Eat it all, Sam. Believe me, I already had my share." Dean said. He wasn't lying either, had to make sure it was alright and safe for his brother. Then he realized he was hungry and ate half the loaf, bringing the other half back for Sam.

Sam made short work of the bread. It was the first thing he had been given to eat since their abduction. It was nothing but bread but it tasted so good right then. It had been two days since they had escaped. It was all still confused in his young mind. Fires, alarms going off, people running past them in military uniforms, children in military uniforms. Everyone yelling or screaming. Smoke filling the air. They had escaped in the confusion but it had been like a dream really. They had been walking for what seemed hours before his mind had stopped feeling hazy. "So where do we go now?" He asked, having finished off the bread.

Dean remembered slightly more, but not much. He remembered ripping the IV out of his arm and staggering until he found Sam and ripping his out. Slapping Sam's face until he woke up, then taking off running. Away from the smoke, into the woods, until they at last found civilization, with a sign saying Seattle, ten miles.

"We go find a phone." Dean said. "And find out the real date."

"They kept us asleep for a long time." Sam said as he got up and pulled on the shoes they had been able to find the next morning. "But it couldn't have been that long... could it? I mean... more than a few days or something."

"No way." Dean said. "We'll figure this out." He said as they headed out. Dean kept himself between his brother and everyone else until he found a pay phone. And dialed Pastor Jim's number.

"The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. No further information is available."

Dean hung up the phone and stared at it. He was out of ideas now.

Sam looked at Dean, worried now. "He wasn't there?" He asked. That wasn't good. In fact, that was beyond not good. He looked up at his brother, wondering what they were going to do now, but he didn't ask because he didn't want to hear Dean say he didn't know. He would just stand there waiting until Dean told him what came next.

"The number's been disconnected." Dean said and took a breath. Then another. Then another. Thinking rapidly. "Okay, let's go find the date at least."

"I saw a news stand a couple blocks back." He said and started to walk that way. "That's kinda weird since it's the church's number and all that." He said aloud, and wished he hadn't. It just made it even more clear how messed up things were. Which made him more afraid. Not that he was going to say that to his brother. He didn't want Dean to think he was chicken. Being scared wasn't something that their father would ever have allowed. At least not without something trying to hurt you.

Dean just gave his brother a tight smile as they got to the news stand. And he went through each newspaper, even as the guy barked at him. "Oh fuck." He said. They all said the same date. June 15, 2020.

They should have said around the last date that he remembered. August 19, 1993.

He put the papers back and grabbed Sam's hand. Not knowing anything else but to just keep walking.

Sam held tight to his brother. He was in shock. Nothing made sense. It wasn't possible that they could have slept for 27 years. That was beyond impossible. He swallowed deeply and let his brother lead him along. Was anyone they knew alive? Bobby wouldn't be, he was old in the 10 year old's estimation. Was that why Pastor Jim's number was disconnected? He wiped his eyes and tried not to think about it as they headed back up the stairs into the apartment building.

Dean led his brother back to the apartment they'd stayed in. In complete shock. It took a lot to make Dean speechless, but he was completely without words now.

Sixty six. Their father would be sixty six this year. Would be, should be, could he be? He sat down on the middle of the floor and held his brother. "I'll figure this out, Sam." He said as he heard people coming into the building. Dammit, in his shock he'd left the door open.

Max, having just gotten her job back at Jam Pony (not that THAT was a big life accomplishment) was walking with Original Cindy when she stopped in front of what (last she knew) was an empty apartment. Still looked empty, except for the kids inside. "New neighbors?" She asked. Maybe OC knew something.

Original Cindy shrugged her shoulders. "Let's find out." She said, pushing the door open the rest of the way. "Hey, welcome to the building." She said, although the kids looked like they had been through 10 miles of bad road... in a hospital no less.

"Thanks." Dean said, making sure his brother was slightly behind him. Even if they were just girls.

"New in town?" Max asked, eyeing their scrubs.

"Yeah." Dean said. Why wouldn't they leave? He couldn't figure this out and talk at the same time.

"What hospital did you escape from?" Max asked with a grin. And that one threw Dean off.

"Um....well.....uh....."

Sam gasped when she asked that question, how could she know? "We didn't really. Just... it was what we could find." He said, it was a little lie, hopefully it was one his brother could back him up on. In this strange world he would rather someone thought they were thieves, than know where they had gotten away from. He didn't want to go back there.

"Kid, chill." OC said. "Ain't no one here gonna get all up in your face. You got parents?" She asked. "Are they with you, I mean?"  
"Our mom is dead." Dean said. "We don't know where our father is. We got separated." Another white lie. They were separated. Twenty seven years ago. "We just got here."

"Looks like it." Max said, looking around the apartment. She remembered how scared she was when she was separated from her unit when she'd first ran. "You know, I think the Solomans vacated. They leave their stuff behind?" She asked her friend.

"Yeah I think so. I know the door over there at least closes and you two are definitely going to want a better door." She said. "Why don't we all go take a look over there and see what we can figure out. " Cindy said.

Sam looked at his older brother, waiting for him to give a yay or a nay to the offer. It would be nice to have something to sit on while they sorted it out.

"Once a month they come through here and pretend to do a sweep to get rid of all the squatters. But one of the guys is on the take, so we all pay our part and life goes on." She warned the kids. It wasn't going to be easy for them but there were ways, and she figured between her and Max, they could keep them from finding out the quick and easy money was often deadly or worse.

Dean nodded at Sam and followed the two women to an apartment up the stairs and to the left. The door actually closed. And there was actual furniture. "Thanks." He said.

Max couldn't help it. When she'd taken down Manticore, she'd released everyone from the infirmary. And she supposed all scrubs looked alike....but the older boy had shorter hair. She checked out the back of his neck for a bar code.

And somehow felt disappointed when she didn't find one.

"Don't mention it. So what are you two doing for food and money?" She asked.

"We don't know yet. We're still working on that." Dean said. He didn't want to admit in front of Sam that he was completely lost and had no idea what he was going to do.

"Okay I'm Original Cindy, and this is Max." She told them where their apartment was. "You come see us if anyone gives you any trouble."

"I'm Sam." He piped up, then moved instinctively behind his older brother. He probably shouldn't have said that. But it couldn't really hurt, could it?

Dean nodded at Sam. First names couldn't hurt. "I'm Dean."

"Sam and Dean." Max repeated. "Any questions, you come see us." These poor kids looked lost. Absolutely lost, and on top of that, confused.  
"You two have anything to eat today?" Cindy asked. She had the feeling there was more to their story than having just gotten separate from their father. They were cautious, closed mouthed about things that most kids, even in this neighborhood would have been blurting out right away, in the hopes of getting help and life back to normal. She looked over at Max for a moment then back at Sam, who was the more open of the two.

Sam nodded. But he wasn't about to say what or where Dean had gotten it. What if it had been their bread? That would be bad.

Dean had the same thought as he shared a glance with his brother. "Yeah, we had breakfast." He said carefully.

Max nodded, watching the two. "Oh shoot. Come on, OC, we're late for work." She said.

She rolled her eyes and started for the door. "You two stay out of trouble, cause there is allotta it to be had around here." She said and waited for Max in the hall way. This had all the ear marks of trouble on the hoof. She didn't know what had happened to those boys but something had them spooked and whatever that was, it was gonna come knocking on Max's door, which just happened to be her door.

"Relax." Max said when they were outside the building. "They're not Manticore. No bar code." She said. "Probably just two scared kids running from a bad situation."

"Yeah, cause all trouble that comes to town is Medicare." Cindy pointed out. "Still, those hospital clothes. That ain't normal... speaking of Normal, we gotta speed this whole walking and talking thing up. "

"All my trouble links right back to Manticore. And I shut the bitch down, remember?" Max said with a grin as they walked faster.

"And brought it home with you too." Cindy pointed out as they entered Jam Pony. "Still, can't hurt to keep an eye out for honest work for the older of the two." She said carefully within hearing range of Normal.

"That's right, look for more messengers for me." Normal said, coming by with packages. "I'll need someone to replace you. You're late. Hot run over in sector seven." He said, handing her package. "And you, heart transplant only get sympathy for so long. Bip, bip, bip!"

Max rolled her eyes. "And here I thought Manticore was bad." She whispered to OC.

"I said honest work, Normal." Cindy said heading for the door. "Not slave labor."

Sam looked over at his brother after having explored the apartment carefully. It was another one bedroom, but that wasn't so bad. They were used to living in a single room most of the time shared with their father."It's not so bad. Better than the last hotel we were in." He said as he walked over to a window. "Do you think Dad is... you know...gone?" He asked, closing his arms across his chest, willing it not to ache at the thought.

"I don't know." Dean said honestly. Twenty seven years. Damn. "I hope not. But I haven't figured out how to find him yet. I will though." He assured his brother. He had no clue, but he'd figure it out.

"What happened out there... do you think it was an apocalypse or something?" He asked his brother. Tears were forming in his eyes at the thought of his father, now an old man. John was a hunter, hunters didn't live to be old men. Not really old like their dad would be now. Some monster would have gotten him and Dean wouldn't have been there to patch him up, or drive him away from the fight. Who would he have come back to after a fight? "He's gonna be pissed when we find him." The tears fell now, silent tears, but tears none the less. He wasn't really thinking about how mad their father would be, he was thinking about how scared and sad their father would have been over the last 27 years.

"Yeah, I know." Dean said, looking out the window with his brother. This wasn't the world he knew or remembered. "Come on, let's go see if they left any clothes behind we can wear. Obviously we can't wear scrubs." Besides, their scrubs were dirty and torn in places now anyway, from their travels.

They found a few things left behind on the floor of the closet, and in the drawers of one broken down dresser. They were too big for Sam and were a little small on Dean but not too small to be worn. They found that the water was still running in the bathroom and the previous tenants had neglected to turn off the hot water heater. Next thing Sam knew, he was in a tub of hot water and ordered to scrub himself clean.

Dean sat on the cracked toilet seat and played with a towel. "Okay, so first I have to figure out a way to get money. And even better, that paperwork to move in the city. Because we can't look for Dad if we can't cross the street." Dean said. "That's all I've figured out so far. Money, food, papers."

"Okay" Sam said as he scrubbed the last of the road dirt off of his body. He frowned, looking at the bruise that had formed where the IV had been."What can I do to help?" He asked as he got out of the tub and reached for the towel in Dean's hand.

"We just gotta stay low for now." Dean said. "I'll figure out dinner. I'll think of something." Every other time he'd been left in charge of Sammy, he knew his father would be back in a couple of days. Two, three weeks at most. Now, he didn't even know if his father was out there. And if he was, what kind of shape he was in.

"You're not gonna go out there alone, are you?" He asked, looking worriedly at his brother as he dried off and dressed in the too big clothes. He could handle this strange new world, he could handle being without their father but the thought of losing his brother, that he couldn't handle. "What if the people that took us are still out there?"  
"I'm not going alone. You're not leaving my sight, not until we figure this out." He said as he pulled the drain on the tub and started to scrub the ring Sam had left behind. He still needed a shower after all. "So what should we find for dinner?"

"Not bread." Sam said rolling up his pants then attempted to roll up the sleeves of the too big tee shirt but failed, leaving him with sleeves down to his elbows. He did manage to tuck it in so that it wouldn't hang to his knees.

"Agreed, no bread." Dean said as he refilled the tub to clean himself off. "But hey, I checked out the mattress, it doesn't smell. So there's some hope, right?"

"We're not prisoners any more. I can be happy with a non stinky bed." Sam said, taking Dean's place on the toilet lid to wait. "But not with another loaf of bread." He said with a laugh. But if that was all that could be found it would be enough and he would eat without complaining. "It'll be okay, Dean." He said, seeing the worried expression in his brother's eyes. Dean always took care of him, and he rarely ever complained. Sam wanted to do more, wanted to help, but he didn't know what to do.

Dean scrubbed quickly, though the hot water felt good. He dressed in the loosest clothes he could find, he'd have to figure something out soon. If he ate a full meal, he was convinced that he wouldn't be able to get these pants back on. "Okay, I have an idea." He said. "We'll get some money, we'll get some food, and that's what we'll do tonight."

Sam nodded. "This is going to be one of those times that I just stand there and keep my mouth shut, isn't it?" He said as he tied his shoes. "And salt. We need to get some salt tonight."

"We definitely need salt." Dean agreed. Brick wouldn't hard to come by, they'd just have to break it up themselves. "And yeah, just stand by quietly." But his little brother was hungry. And he needed clothes that fit properly. And they had to find their dad. So if it was illegal, Dean was going to ignore that and just get the job done. Wasn't going to be his fault if people fell for his schemes, now was it?

"Okay... " Sam said. He had absolute faith in his brother. They would have dinner tonight and they would be safe. The rest would happen because Dean said it would. And if it didn't, it would be because... well he didn't want to think about the because to that, but it wouldn't be Dean's fault, what ever it was.

A couple of days later, Max was settled in. As if none of it had ever happened. The scar on her chest was completely gone, had to love the way transgenics healed. She had her job back, she was back at her apartment, even her bike was nicely tuned.

Whoever was pulling the strings on Manticore had been shut down, for a bit. She'd convinced Logan to help shuttle as many transgenics as she could find up to Canada, where there wasn't martial law. She'd thought of it once or twice herself, but she liked her life. She'd fought hard for her life. It was just when the past kept cropping up to bite you in the ass that it seemed to suck.

OC came in with a small net bag of groceries. "So what plan's you got for the big day off?" She asked. "A whole day without Normal." She said. "Does it get any better than that?"

"Don't jinx it." Max said with a laugh. "Thought I'd take a long bath. Then go see what kinda trouble I can get into. You know, the kind that doesn't end up with me on a wanted list. We meeting up at Crash tonight or do you have a date?"

"Nah, Original Cindy is on her own tonight. Crash sounds like a plan. Catch up to you there at seven. You think your boy can stay out of trouble today?" She asked.

Max rolled her eyes. "He's not my boy." She said. Again. She was often saying that to Original Cindy. "And I don't care. He's a grown up, or thinks he is."

Cindy scoffed. "Yeah a'aight, you don't care. How come you're always saving his dumb ass?" She countered as she put away the food she had brought home.

"Because he's a dumb ass." Max said, as if that was obvious. "Because he's one of the transgenics that I let loose on the world. Maybe I'm saving the world from him."

OC laughed at that. "At least the female population." She said. "That boy is a menace. So have you seen the kids lately? Ya think they're okay?" She didn't want to be the one to go check on them.

"I saw them heading in when I was headed out." Max said. "They looked healthy enough. Cleaned up, fed, that sorta thing. I tell you though, something about the older one bugs me. I know, he's just a kid, but he just bugs me!"

Cindy laughed. "He's a teenaged boy that is already looking down every blouse in town, what's not to bug you?" She said. "Good. Glad they are settled in. We should warn them about when the rent is due. Anyway, I don't have the day off so I am off to work. See you at Crash tonight."

"See ya." Max said and took her bath. Then went to where the boys were living. Rent was coming due after all.

Dean opened the door. "Hey." He said, and she took a quick look around the apartment. Both boys were in clothes that fit. Food was present. And even a second mattress. Well, the last part, and possibly the first part could be had if you knew where to get them. The kid was a fast worker.

"Hey." She said. "Pay off's due next week."

"How much is it?" Sam asked, hoping it wasn't too much. Dean had worked hard to get them the things they had. He also hoped they wouldn't ask about parents. His father's words still ran deep. Strangers finding them alone would take them away from each other and put them in foster care. Foster care was worse than anything else they had been through in Sam's mind, it was the great black monster lurking over the horizon, watching for the worst possible moment to swoop down on them.

She named the amount and Dean nodded. He had it on hand. So they were set. "So any luck finding your dad yet?" She asked and noticed right away both boys shut down.

"We've got it." Dean said. "It's all under control." Of course it wasn't. But he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about. Thanks for telling us though." He said. He liked Max, but she had that way of looking at them that made him wonder. She was searching. Not the nosy neighbor kind of searching, but the way his dad used to look at things when they would enter a new place. Caution, curiosity, watchfulness.

"All right." Max said and headed out. Dean shut the door and sighed.

"Okay, so I think I know a bit about where we were being held. Apparently some VA hospital of all things." Dean said. "Explains the military uniforms, I don't know why they were recruiting kids. Some terrorist group blew it up. Think it has anything to do with Dad being a Marine back in the day?" His brother was only ten. 'Only' ten. But he felt better when Dean bounced ideas off him.

"But why would a VA hospital be holding kids hostage? We weren't sick. Maybe it wasn't really a VA hospital. You know, how people make up stories to cover up the demon stuff when it happens so that no one asks too many questions."

"I know." Dean said., Unknown to either boy, Max was right outside the door. She'd stopped short and started to listen when they were talking about a VA hospital that got blown up. There was no VA hospital. It was Manticore, and a terrorist group hadn't blown it up. She had. "I don't even know who took us, that's the part I hate the most. There's no one to get payback from."

"What if they took Dad too?" Sam asked. "You don't think..." the kid swallowed hard, "you don't think Dad was in there when the place blew up, do you?" The chances of his survival was good, after all they had survived, and their dad was even better at stuff than Dean. But that would mean he had been caught coming after them, and had probably been hurt too. It would take a lot to be able to capture their dad.

"If he was, then all we gotta do is hold tight." Dean said with a bit of a grin. "No one tracks better than John Winchester. And if we got out, he definitely got out."

Max leaned against the door and nodded. Okay, the father's name was John Winchester. She might be able to look that up....but they didn't seem like Manticore kids. Now she was confused, which made her groan in aggravation. Because now she'd have to get the answer.  
Alec had spent the day doing what he loved best. Making money with very little work involved. Although if anyone had told him how much work was involved in his schemes he would have laughed at them. It didn't feel like work to him. He flashed a smile and sold them what they wanted. Everyone wanted to believe they were an honest man. They also wanted to believe they were getting the better of someone else. So Alec just let them believe they were getting what they wanted. In the right circumstances, he could sell someone a piece of glass and convince them it was a diamond. It was a skill, it was a joy. And in Alec's were there weren't too many joys, so you took the ones you could get and you didn't think twice.

He was enjoying a drink at Crash, relaxing, shooting pool, laughing. It was a good day.

Max did not enjoy talking to Alec. She was never sure when he was honest, and when he was running a con. And he just got under her skin. For probably many reasons. But she came into the bar and headed straight for the pool table. "We need to talk." She said. "Now."

"Nice to see you too, Max." Alec said. "I'm doing fine, thank you, yourself?" He said taking his next shot, having no intention of jumping just cause she decided she wanted his attention right then.

"Great! Small talk's over. I'm serious." She said. "It's important. It's, about, you know, sharing childhood memories?" She offered. She couldn't exactly come out and say it, not here.

Alec took a deep breath and tossed money on the table. Walking away was the same as losing. "Fine, but the drinks are on you." He said. "Maybe next time, boys." He said, setting down the pool cue and walking away. "Okay so what's the deal?" He asked.

Max brought over a pitcher of beer and took him to an isolated table, where they wouldn't be overheard. "Fine, you were there longer. And last time I was there, I was locked up." She said. "But I've got two kids in my building, without bar codes, and they were there. They said they were taken. Do you know anything about that?"

Alec looked thoughtful for a moment, searching through his memories at manticore the way others would sort through files. "No... no I don't. How old are they? Could they be the kids of some of your unit?" He asked, figuring that would be the only reason Manticore would abduct children.

"The oldest, Dean, he's 15 tops. No younger than 13 though." Max said. "The youngest, Sam, he's around ten I think. I heard them say their last name is Winchester, and that their father might have been taken too. So you don't know anything then?"

He shook his head. "You're sure they were at the facility? I mean... yeah, I wasn't in on all the top secret experiments or anything but, it doesn't sound like Manticore. Then again... Manticore did a lot that didn't sound like Manticore."

"I was listening outside the door. They said they were in a facility, they didn't know how long. Then they woke up, and there was fire, and smoke, and kids in military uniforms. People shooting all over the place. Sounds like the last night at Manticore to me."  
He shrugged. "Yep, sounds like home to me. So you talk to them about it yet?" He said as he filled his glass again. "Did you ever notice this stuff has no effect? Yet still it satisfies." He figured she hadn't because that would mean answering questions herself. Max hated answering questions.

"No, I don't know what to tell them. They're weird. Not Manticore weird, but just plain weird. Like they have no idea what's going on at all. And they're trying to fake their way through."

"Weird. How weird can they be? They're kids. Lost, no family, just escaped from the big bad evil Manticore." He said, more than a little sarcasm in his tone. "Yeah cause that's gonna make for a normal kid."

"That's not what I meant." Max snapped. "It's like they're out of place. You know what, never mind. I should have known you'd be absolutely no help."

"You know...You are a negative person." He said. "Or maybe you are just spoiled, cause, damn." He said finishing his beer. "Guy doesn't give you exactly what you want on a silver platter and suddenly they are useless. You want me to talk to these kids for you? Is that it? Or maybe you want me to hold your hand and say it's okay to be weirded out by a couple of kids. Or maybe I'm just a convenient sharpening stone for that tongue of yours." He said and then smiled. "But you know what? I don't care." He got to his feet.

"Fine, you go talk to them, and then I'll mock you for being weirded out by them." Max said, watching him get up. Alec tended to bring out the worst in her, and she knew that. She just didn't know why.

"Fine, I will. " He said. "Let's go. So they are a couple of kids from Manticore. So are we. What are they gonna do? Out run us?" He asked with a grin. "Come on, lighten up, Max. "

She gave him a look. Lighten up? Did he have to treat everything as a joke? "Fine." She said, getting up. Though now she had their father's name. She'd have to swing by Logan's and have him run the name for her.

Alec wasn't exactly taking it as a joke. He didn't like the idea of innocent kids trapped in Manticore any more than he liked the idea of transgenic kids being there. But any time he took things seriously in front of Max, she made it pretty plain that she figured he was lying anyway. So why bother? Besides, it was more fun to get under her skin than let her get under his.

He followed her not saying anything else.

She led him back to the building and jimmied the lock open on the apartment. "They're not here." She said as she walked around the apartment. It was a normal apartment, and had come fully furnished, so there wasn't much in the way of personal touches from the boys yet. "Sector passes?" She asked, picking up a couple. "They've got enough for a dozen people."  
"These are good too." Alec said as he looked them over. "Damn good. Okay... so your boys are either making or stealing sector passes... at what 13 -15 was the age span you said the oldest was at? No bar codes you say, could they have just not reappeared yet?"

"It's possible." Max said with a shrug. "Wonder if salt keeps out bugs?" She asked, looking around. The whole place was lined with salt. The floors, above door frames, on window sills.

"Not that I know of... we all get taught some freaky rituals... " Alec said, frowning trying to figure out what was going on. "Or.. these kids belong to some master forger, but why would Manticore take them? That's the part I can't make sense out of. If they aren't transgenics, why were they there? Manticore isn't big on the whole hostage taking thing. Too many ways it can go wrong. Usually they have a problem they send one of us to take care of it." He said, jaw twitching a little as he walked around the apartment.

"Maybe they were leverage?" Max asked. She was running out of ideas as she circled the apartment. "Wow. They've been here a week, and they've scored clothes that fit, food.....and music." She said with a chuckle, finding a ramshackled CD player that still worked. And CDs in fairly good shape. "Metallica? Motorhead?"

"Not a clue." Said Alec as he looked around. "Who ever they are, they work fast. They might not be transgenics but they aren't normal either. Okay... so you get to be weirded out." Alec wasn't sure he wasn't a little weirded out himself. "And they are definitely wasting their talent if they are making copy like this and living here. Kid could be making a couple grand each off of these things."

"All you ever think about is money." Max said shaking her head. "But thanks. Glad I'm not the only one weirded out. Okay, we better go see Logan." Dealing with Logan most of the time was much easier with a buffer. And she was perfectly willing to use Alec as that buffer.

"What do you think Logan is going to be able to find out?" He asked as he exited the apartment. "And I didn't say I was weirded out, I said it was okay for you to be." He knew he was along to play chaperone. Bugged him a little, but at the same time it bugged him less than her going there alone. Although what bugged him most about the entire situation was that it bugged him in the first place.

"You're weirded out." She said. "And Logan can run their names, their father's name, see if there's anything on file for these kids. With a whole mess of stuff being declassified, maybe something will turn up. Other than sector passes and salt, this apartment is a total bust."

"Let's go then. A perfectly good day off is being wasted standing here waiting on you." He said with a quick smile. "Or are you stalling?"

"I'm not stalling." She said with a scowl. "Why would I stall? No reason to stall. Let's go." She said, moving past him. "Waiting on you now."

"I don't know... wouldn't blame you really." He said as he walked along with her "What with that whole touch him and he dies thing. I could see where you would want to totally avoid that. Besides...what exactly is it you see in him anyway. Let me guess... it's the eyes."

"You wouldn't understand." Max said, shaking her head and picking up the pace. "Alec, someone like you can't understand someone like Logan. It's impossible."

"What does that mean? Someone like me?" He asked, shaking his head. "You know what... the real question is, does someone like him understand someone like Us?" He said, giving her a look. He didn't think Max actually understood someone like them. In fact, he was sure of it.

"Someone like us?" She asked. "What does that one mean, huh? Someone like us. You and I, once you get passed the mix and match DNA, we're nothing alike, Alec."

"And you and Logan are?" He countered. "And I got news for you, Max, you have more in common with your dog faced pal, than you do with Logan Cale." He said bluntly. "But hey, whatever moves your furniture. His funeral." He shrugged.

"We're obviously not moving furniture." She said. "You know, the whole virus thing. Remember? You were to make sure I delivered it in the first place. You know what? Forget it. Let's just see what's going on with these kids."

"Yeah... I was." He said. "You're right. We're *nothing* alike." He added and fell silent the rest of the way to Logan's fancy high-rise. He didn't understand Max. She spent all her time worried about every other transgenic on the planet but him. He was the great walking evil that somehow exemplified everything Manticore was. She didn't know what it was to be prepared for a mission, not a real mission. She didn't know what it was to fail at a mission. She thought Manticore play school was hell on earth. Poor little Maxie and her so called family. They deserted, they made it harder for the rest of them, and she had the nerve to stand there and judge him? What ever.

They got up to the penthouse and Max let herself in, as she always did. "Logan?" She called out.

"In here." The computer room. Where he always was. "Hey." He said with a smile as Max rounded the corner, and forced it to stay on his face when he saw Alec right behind her.

"Logan I need a favor." She said, keeping careful distance as always. "I need you to run a name for me. John Winchester."

"Might be a popular name." He said, turning back to his keyboard, where he could let the smile drop off his face. "Any parameters?"

"Two sons, Dean and Sam. Samuel maybe." Max said.

Alec stood back and watched as Logan worked. Okay, he watched the dynamic between Logan and Max while Logan worked. It was enough make him want to puke. Saccharine. He was glad they couldn't touch. If they could, he probably would.  
"I'm not finding anything recent." Logan said. "How far do you want me to go back ?" He asked, not sure what Max was looking for.

"Keep going back." She said on a hunch. And not one she liked. "They said their mother was dead, but didn't give me a name."

Logan shrugged and kept looking back, scanning old newspapers that were online. Going back until he got a series of hits. "I think I'm off base." He said. "Birth announcement for Dean Winchester, born in Lawrence, Kansas. January 24....I know this isn't what you're looking for."

"Why?" Max asked.

"Because he was born in 1979. Son of John and Mary Winchester." Logan said as he scrolled through the listings. "Samuel Winchester, son of John and Mary Winchester, joins proud brother Dean in Lawrence, Kansas on May 2, 1983. Obituary for Mary Winchester November 2, 1983. House fire."

"This can't be right." Max said. "1979? He'd be in his forties."

"Missing persons report filed here in Seattle. Dean and Sam Winchester last seen in Seattle, Washington, at a motel that doesn't exist any more." Logan said as he turned the screen around.

Max's jaw dropped. "That's them." She said, seeing the pictures. "Alec, that's definitely them."

Alec looked at the screen. "The older ones... familiar some how... cute kids though. Okay, look you say you heard these kids talking about what sounds like the night you two blew Manticore. " He said. "What's to say that an organization that can splice DNA and grow armies in test tubes can't put a couple kids on ice for a few years?" He said. "The question is why. That would be costly, and they wouldn't waste the money or time on hostages."

"Looks like we have to track them down and talk to them." Max said. "Thanks, Logan."

"You made it sound like these kids don't know what's going on." Logan pointed out. "If they've been on 'ice' for a few years, like Alec said, you need to be careful in how you approach them."

"Are you implying that our girl Max is lacking in sensitivity? I'm shocked." Alec said with a grin. "Don't worry. We'll handle it. Kid gloves and all."

"Maybe you're the one that should sit this out." Logan said. "Kid gloves on your hands still isn't very comforting."

"Stop it. Both of you." Max said. "This is a Manticore problem. Alec and I will handle this. Let's go."

Alec was surprised at that one. He waggled his eyebrows briefly and followed Max out the door. "Okay, so what's the plan of approach on this one? Start with the fire and work back?"

"Kill 'em with kindness." Max said. "Maybe we need some candy." She said thoughtfully. "I don't know anything about kids. And neither of us can compare. At their age, I was on the run, and you were living the Manticore dream."

"At that age I was in and out of Psy-ops. I wouldn't call that the Manticore dream." Alec said. "Okay so you know lots of normal people, ask them about kids. Your roommate should know what to do with one. I don't know."

"Let's play this by ear." She said with a sigh. "Okay, if you were peddling sector passes, which I know you do, where would you go?"

"Come on." Alec said and started to head down a side street. There were places where people were desperate to get out of town. Judging by what the kids had in that apartment, it wasn't the places he would normally peddle his wares. The reason they weren't making as much money as they could be because kids -normal kids anyway- had soft hearts and would take less from people they identified with. Desperate, scared people, without a whole lot to lose.

The trouble with that sector was that it was dangerous.

"You're kidding me. You think they're at the 5-6 border?" Max asked. "Kids today." She followed him to the border. "Okay, maybe an alley? You remember the picture from Logan's computer? They look exactly like that."

"They aren't making money for a reason." Alec said. "And this is where the people are desperate enough to take a sector pass off a kid." He looked up and down the road focusing in the distance on the people milling about the streets. He pointed at what looked like the pictures he had seen and looked to Max for confirmation.

"That's them." Max confirmed. "Remember, nice and easy. You promised kid gloves."

Dean had pocketed the money someone had just handed him when he saw Max and a guy. "Crap. Sammy, maybe we should try another corner...." he said to his little brother, who was busy reading a book that Dean had gotten for him.

Sammy got to his feet and put his book mark in place. "Okay." He said looking around and saw the others approaching "Too late... here she comes. He doesn't look like a social worker. Maybe he's her boyfriend."

Alec approached casually. "Hey." He said. "I'm Alec, Max here tells me you're new to her building. " He said, offering his hand to Dean. There really was something familiar about this kid. It kinda made his skin crawl cause he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Yeah, we got there about a week ago." Dean said cautiously, shaking his hand. "This is my brother Sam, I'm Dean."

"Really tough corner you've got here." Max said, looking around.

"Yeah, well, supply's meeting demand." Dean said, shoving the rest of the passes in his jacket. "We're just gonna head home now, so, you know, see you around?"

"What's your rush? I was just gonna take Max to get something to eat, why don't you come with?" He said, figuring anything blunt and direct would scare the kid off. So would an immediate offer to buy.

Dean glanced at Sam. Okay, it was around meal time. And maybe they could convince this guy to pay for it, save their own money. "Okay." Dean said.

Max smiled. "Great. I know a wonderful little restaurant around here. Quiet, food's great. And Alec is paying!" She said with a bright smile. "Right, Alec?"

"Sure, " he said, doing his best to cover his initial reaction. "Hey, what kind of man takes his girl out and doesn't pay, huh? So, lead on." He said. "She has been dying to show me this place." He said, grinning at Max, two could play at that game and it would be worth spending a little money to make her keep up the act.

"That's right." Max said. "He spoils me." Maybe if she took the kids shopping later, she'd con Alec into buying something she could hock later. Worth a try. They got to the restaurant, and Max couldn't wait to see the look on Alec's face when he was handed a menu. "Order anything you want."

Sam looked at the menu, the looked over at Dean. He barely kept from laughing out loud when he saw Alec's face. He thought the guy's eyes were going to bug out. It reminded him of the look his brother would get sometimes.

"Yeah. Whatever you want." Alec said. "You didn't tell me how incredible this menu was, honey." He said to Max. Oh, she was going to owe him big time for this one. Not even other people's money grew on trees, this was going to be more than a little money. But the mission was the important thing right now, and that was finding out more about these kids, without spooking them.

"I was saving it for a special occasion." Max said with a grin.

Dean looked between the two of them. "What? Is it your anniversary or something? Are we crashing something?"

"No, no crashing." Said Alec, giving Max a look. "Not a real anniversary, that's next week. 4 months... isn't that right, honey? Four months since we met." And she kicked him in the balls. Now she was trying to kick him in the wallet. The girl was a terror. "But no...we just happened to be over this way and she knows I came in to money today. Nothing unusual."  
Sam studiously studied his menu. "Hey Dean, they have meat...real meat here...You okay Alec?" He asked. "You looked like you were about to throw up." They were up to something but as long as Dean didn't blow the whistle, he wouldn't either.

"He's fine, aren't you, sugar bear?" Max said, sweetly. "He's just getting over a little bug, big baby." His revenge was going to be a bitch, but the instant gratification of this moment was worth it.

"Ooh...meat." Dean said, momentarily distracted as the waitress came over. "I'm definitely going to have the steak. With mushrooms. And potatoes. Sam?"

Sam nodded. "Me too." He said, he didn't know when they would see meat next. It was rare these days. Besides, he was hungry, and it would be good to be completely full again.

Alec nodded. "Yeah... I'm alright." He said. "But I think I'm gonna keep it light." Mostly because he knew Max would order big as well, because that was how the game was played. Their own special version of cat and mouse. Or in their case, cat and tom cat. "But that's okay, Maxie takes care of me when I'm sick. She's such a sweetheart. Always worrying about me." He placed an order for something made of chicken. He wasn't even sure what it was having ordered it by number. He looked at the menu and the numbers swam around in front of him. So much for that TV he wanted to get with this week's earnings.

Okay, she had a twinge of conscience. And tried to beat it down. But with the waitress looking at her expectantly, she didn't have quite enough time. She didn't order as big as the boys. But she didn't get a salad either. She wasn't that conscientious. More midrange with veal. "He's easy to worry about." She said to the boys with a smile.

"Yeah." Dean said. "You two are bad at this. This whole winning us over with kindness. Are there cops outside waiting for us to finish dessert?"

Sam looked up at them and looked back at his brother, ready to run at a moment's notice.

"Nah, nothing like that." Alec said. "We just wanted to talk to you about some hard subjects and didn't want to scare you off in the first five minutes." He told the kid honestly. He gave Max a look. They were smart, and they were street wise to some degree.

"Good. Because we're having dessert." Dean said. If they were going to freak out Sammy (and him) they'd have to pay for dessert.

Max nodded at Alec. Might as well. "I had a friend looking for your father...." Max said. "And well....."

"Did you find him?" Dean asked before he could help himself.

"We don't know who we're looking for." Max said. "Dean, when were you born?"  
"I'll be 15 in January." He said. That was more or less the truth. He certainly wouldn't be 42.

"Okay, but what year were you born?" Max asked again, differently.

"Dean's 14 and I'm 10." Sam piped up, hoping to diver that particular question. That was usually what grownups wanted to know if they asked your birthday. "I just turned 10 last May."

Alec took a deep breath. "Okay... let's try this another way... how old is your father?" He asked. "Because if we're looking for a man in his late 30s and he's actually say... 60 something, that makes it harder to find him."

"Sixty six." Dean admitted. They had to find their father. "He's sixty six."

"Had you two kinda late, didn't he?" Max said as the waitress laid down their plates, and walked away. "So where are you from?"

"Around. Dad's a salesman. We moved around a lot." Dean said as he started cutting his steak.

Sam stayed carefully quiet and ate his food. Dean would better know how to handle this than he would. He wouldn't pipe up until needed. He knew this game. They played it with every adult they encountered when getting to a new school. Sam missed school.

Alec could just imagine what the man sold, since the kid had picked up forgery damned quick. "Okay. who did he work for? I know some people, place called Manticore. They had salesmen, liked to travel a lot." The kid might be too slick to bolt, but the eyes would give them away if they knew anything about it. "A couple other companies out there too. We need all the information we can get if we're going to find him, or sort any of this out."

The name Manticore meant nothing to Dean as he shook his head, his wide green eyes showing that. "No, he worked independently. He doesn't like to have a boss." He said with a shrug as he ate.

Max looked at Alec. Kids sucked. They weren't getting any of the answers they needed. Could they play hardball with kids? But Dean obviously knew nothing about Manticore.

"Okay... how about this... how did you get separate from your father? Look, we're only trying to help. I'm not with the government, I'm not a cop or a social worker. I'm just trying to help." He told them. Something about this kid... both of them...it bugged him, he felt like he should know their faces.

Dean looked down at his food. "We don't know." He said. "We were in a motel. We went to sleep. Dad wasn't back yet. And then....the room filled with smoke, and it knocked us out. Next thing we knew the room was filling up with smoke again, except we weren't in the motel room, we were in some sort of lab, and I had to take an IV out to get out, and I grabbed Sam and we started running."  
"That lab was down the road from Seattle, wasn't it?" Alec said. "The news was calling it a VA hospital, right? Look, I'm gonna be honest with you... we did some checking, or that friend of ours did and he found your pictures, attached to a missing persons' report, but it doesn't match up with your ages. I'm not gonna think you're crazy or call the tabloids or anything... so you can tell me the truth... did you go to bed in 1993 and wake up in 2020?" He asked quietly and with a gentleness that wasn't expected with Alec.

Max gave him another look. She was surprised, and maybe a little impressed.

Then rolled her eyes a bit to herself. He'd probably been well versed in interrogation techniques.

Dean exchanged a nervous look with his brother and took a couple breaths. "Yes." He said. "That's pretty much what happened." He looked at Alec and Max. "It wasn't a VA hospital, was it?"

"No. It was a lab for a secret government operation called Manticore." He said, still gentle. "They weren't very nice people. But the good news is Max here and her buddy, the one we have looking for your dad, took it down that night." Well okay, Manticore took itself down, but Logan had started that chain reaction because of Max. "There could be stragglers so we have to be careful still, but I don't think you have to worry about them coming after you."

Dean shook his head. "Secret government operation? Why would they take us?" He asked. "We're just kids."

"We're going to find out." Max promised. "And we'll find out about your dad."

"Okay." Dean said. "What's for dessert?" No matter what they said, Dean was wondering if it was time to move on.

"What ever you want." Alec said, no begrudging thoughts in his head, especially as the younger boy looked like he was about to cry, and was desperate to hold it back. "Look, I know this is all scary. I do... and I know that if I were in your shoes I would be planning to get the hell out of dodge on the next train. But I can't help you if you take off."

"Why are you helping us, anyway?" Sam asked. Looking up from his now empty plate, and fixing Alec with a steady gaze and a very nearly firmly set jaw.

Alec could make out a little quivering there. He thought that he would have been proud to have these two in his unit when he was that age, and instantly felt guilty about it. He wouldn't really wish that on anyone. Least of all someone he figured he could like if he got to know them.

He took a deep breath. "At first because Max asked." He said honestly. "Now, because ... because Manticore is a... thorn in my side, and I think you two deserve to know what happened and why."

"Why do you hate Manticore?" Dean asked.  
"Because we used to live there." Max said. "We were....created there."

"Like clones?"

"Exactly like clones." Max said. "More or less."

And here Dean thought he'd spent way too much time watching late night sci fi movies. The B movies that barely were in theaters because they were so laughable. Now he figured he hadn't spent enough time watching them.

"We're not clones." Dean said. "I remember Sam being born. There were pictures of me in the hospital when I was born."

"No... you aren't clones. They would have been training you like they did Max and me if you were clones. I don't know why they took you." Alec said. "But we'll try and find out, and try and find your dad. " He told them. "In the mean time... there are much better and safer places to sell your wares. Who taught you to forge like that? I saw some of your work. It's good."

"My dad." Dean said with a grin. "He could do pretty much anything."

"Yeah, well, this isn't the place to be selling them. Sector police come through every once in a while and clear it out." Max said. "Not to mention the natives get restless. A cute face only gets you so far.'

Dean grinned even more, and smirked at Alec. "Watch out, dude. She thinks I'm cute."

Alec laughed. "Oh believe me, I can handle the competition." He said, eyes twinkling merrily as he looked over at Max. "I got the day off tomorrow. I'll show you a better location. Introduce you to a few people." He said.

"He laughs like you, Dean." Sam said and looked up at the waitress who had come over to see if they wanted anything else. He ordered the chocolate cake that came with chocolate frosting, chocolate ice cream and fudge sauce.

Dean ordered a large sundae for himself, then took Sam to the bathroom. Max turned to Alec. "So what do you think? Total waste of time that I brought you here?"

"No... but if they don't come back in five minutes, we're hightailing it back to their apartment. " He said. "They need help, but I don't know what we can do other than help them adjust."

"Alec, you're still adjusting." Max pointed out. "But I knew they were out of place." She felt vindicated on that point now. And he had scoffed at it too.

"They have to adjust to a whole new world, not having a father, and growing up. I just have to adjust to not ... being there any more." He said. She didn't need to know all the details of that. Right now they weren't friends, they were... distant relatives that you had to put up with. That didn't put her on the need to know list for Alec's world. "I think I can handle helping out here."

"They're just kids, Alec. You're not getting a side kick out of this situation, got it?" She said as the boys came back and she put her adoring smile back on.

"I wasn't-" he started, then stopped short. Yeah finishing that sentence would work so well. "Hey, just in time for dessert." He said, putting the smile back on.

Sam wasn't sure what to make of all of this. Part of him was waiting to wake up from the dream so he could tell Dean all about it. Part of him knew that things were always going to be this scary for him. But Dean was there, he could make it through if Dean was there.

"Chocolate. I really like chocolate. Dean would rather have peanut M&Ms than anything else but I just like chocolate in general."

"Man after my own heart." Max said with a grin, and Dean chuckled.

"Thatta boy, Sammy." Dean said, patting his little brother on the back.

"I can take Sam back to the apartment while Alec shows you around?" Max offered. Big meal like this, kid was bound to get sleepy. But Dean automatically got defensive and scooted closer to his brother.

"No." He said firmly. "He's fine with me."

"It's all good, they can both go with me." Alec said. "Where I'm going, it's fine. Safer than where they were anyway." He said it off handedly as he finished his own meal. He couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like to grow up like a normal kid. Most of his unit envied Max's unit their escape, if they were being honest. Except the twins. They tended to be a bit resentful. Alec envied the brothers sitting there in front of them. Their life sucked as much as his and Max's, but they had each other. They weren't alone. Even if they probably felt that way without their father around.

Sam watched Alec, catching the far away look in the eyes, even if it flashed quickly. "Are there schools here?" He asked. "We're not gonna be in trouble for not being at school, are we?"

Max shrugged. Public schools had gone by the wayside when the US was turned into a third world country. There were still private schools though. But Dean would have to do a lot of hustling to afford that, and that wouldn't leave him time for school anyway. "Not really." She said. "Welcome to 2020." She explained about the pulse, in a way kids could understand it.

So no school. Dean wasn't sure if that was upsetting or not. But he knew his brother. His brother, for some reason, loved school. Even when they were switching schools every month. He may have hated being the new kid, but he liked school itself. "I'll figure out something, Sam."

"Are there still libraries?" Sam asked, suddenly not very sure that the year 2020 was a good place to be. No school, if there were no libraries, how was he supposed to learn anything? He would be stupid by the time he was an adult. He was smart for a 5th grader but Dean knew way more because he was older and had gone to school longer. "I don't want to be stupid."

"Sam, you're not stupid." Dean said quickly.

"I know some guys with a lot of books." Max said, thinking of Joshua and Logan specifically. "And I'll get you into a library. No worries."

"Okay." He said, relaxing a little, but it didn't last long. "I just ... I don't wanna be a grown up who didn't graduate the 5th grade... " he took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "I'm gonna be a drop out...we gotta find Dad... I don't like this place... I want to go home." Home meant the Impala and a sleazy motel. It meant the smell of gun oil and leather, and salt in all your clothes. It wasn't here in this strange place where you couldn't cross the street without a pass, or buy chicken nuggets made of real chicken.

"There's lots of ways to learn, kid." Alec said. "Not all of them sitting in a desk and reading what's on the black board. Give us a chance to work something out."

"Sam, it's okay." Dean said, putting an arm around his kid brother. "I'll figure something out, I promise. You're not going to be a fifth grade drop out." Though he wished they could just go back to sleep and wake up and it was 1993. That would be great.

Max watched. The younger kid seemed on the verge of a full on freak out. And the older kid took it in hand, like he'd had to do that a lot. She wondered how normal they really were. "How about we get you two home? Alec can show you around tomorrow." This was a lot for one day.

"Actually, yeah, that would work better for me anyway. That okay with you two?" He asked, looking between them. The younger boy seemed to calm down when his brother reassured him. He was so young and had been through so much, and yet he was freaking out about school. Not being kidnapped by an evil government agency. But the fact that there would be no school. He definitely did not understand that one. Logan probably would. Yeah, Mr Perfect strikes again and he wasn't even there.

"That's fine." Dean said, working on consoling Sam. He'd figure out something. For Sam, he'd figure out anything. "Yeah, we're ready to go back to the apartment now." It wasn't home. It wasn't even really theirs yet. It was filled with other people's stuff. And, dammit, it wasn't 1993.

"You guys go on." Alec said. "I'm gonna take care of the bill and head home myself." He said. He wanted to look into a few things, and he didn't want Max along for the ride. She would freak if she knew he was headed back out to the base. There wouldn't be anything there, but he had to look any way. He was stubborn like that.  
"Thanks, sweetie." Max said as she stood up. "Come on." She said to the boys.

"If you need us to turn around so you can make out, we can." Dean offered. He was fourteen. He knew about girls. And he knew a hot one when he saw one. If he were an adult, he'd be making out with one.

Alec's eyes twinkled. He was thinking about it. He was thinking about it hard core. He grinned at Max. It would serve her right for the restaurant and everything else, but then he would have to live with her afterwards. Or at least see her on a regular basis. "No... Max isn't into PDA." He said instead. "We don't make out in public, even with backs turned."

Max exhaled. Alec didn't take the bait to humiliate her. Okay, so Alec got a point in her book. Not that it touched the negative points or anything. "Come on." She said to the boys again. "I'll see you later, Alec." That was a given. They hung out at the same place, they worked at the same place....

"I'll be around." He said and carefully didn't look at the check until everyone else had left the building, and then he very nearly choked. He lay down the money and left the restaurant, heading back to Logan's high-rise. He wasn't going in to even a dead Manticore installation without back up. Even if that back up was Logan Cale.

He let himself into the condo and strode into the computer room. "Don't you ever get out of this room?" He asked.

Logan half turned and saw Alec and raised an eyebrow. "Don't you ever knock?" He responded dryly. "I'm working on tracking down John Winchester, remember? I've only found three hundred of them. What do you want, Alec?" It was strange for him to come around and not be tagging along after Max.

"Max and I talked to the kids. They 'fessed up about being from the past." Alec rolled his eyes at the look from Logan. "We let them have dessert before pulling out the rubber hoses, don't worry. They'll be out of the hospital in a week, tops." He said in his usual off handed way. "I'm going back to Manticore, to check what I can find in the remains. Oh yeah, they said their father would be 66 right now. They are the kids from missing persons report by the way, so there's your John Winchester for you. So anyway... how about a little back up?" He asked. "Max is taking the kids home."

"Which means you didn't tell her about this part." Logan said. Figures. Alec was nothing but trouble on two genetically engineered legs. "What are you hoping to find there? You know the government already went through the place with a comb and took out anything that could possibly be of use."

"Yeah... well no one is perfect, not even the government. You never know what you can find out there. Especially when it involves some project that no one knew about in the first place."

Alec had a point. So Logan got up, his legs were good for a few more hours before they needed recharging. "All right then. Let's go." He said, grabbing his jacket and a camera. "I'll drive."

Less than an hour later, they were at the remains of Manticore. Just a shell of a large building, barely patrolled. Even Logan could get past the guards as they made their way into the wrecked building. "Okay, you talked to them. And you know your way around, where to?"

He paused to think for a momen

, then turned to follow a corridor. "It was in the furthest lab back." He said as he made his way there. "So you know anything about ... schools?" He asked, as he paused to move a fallen beam out of the way and pulled his head back as more debris fell downward.

"Schools?" Logan asked as he carefully made his way through the debris. "Thought Manticore injected everything you'd need to know into your head through hazing and subliminal brainwashing?"

"It's not me." Alec said. "When we were talking to the kids, the only thing that seemed to freak out the youngest one was the fact that there were no longer public schools. Was weirded out saying he didn't want to be a fifth grade drop out and get stupid. " He shrugged, moving on to another blockage of debris. "Figured you would know what to do about that."

"Well, the public school system fell with everything else." Logan said, moving some of the lighter stuff as they went along. "There are underground schools, private schools, that sort of thing. I'll see what I can find." A kid that wanted to go to school. That was weird on its own, especially today. Then again, the kid wasn't exactly from today.

"Max said she would look into it but, we both know she'll just come back to you anyway." Alec said as he moved aside the last of the debris and then began work on getting the lab door open. "They got out of here just in time. The door closed and fused shut. "

"Which means whatever was in there with them is still in there." Logan said as he found a warped piece of metal to try and wedge the door open. "You hate that, don't you? That Max talks to me."

"No. I don't hate that she talks to you." He said and was mostly honest about it. "I don't think you would understand exactly what bothers me about the situation, so let's just leave it." He said as Logan managed to shove the metal in enough to give Alec enough space to get fingers through and start pulling at the door.

Logan chose to leave it. Would hate to be told by Alec that he was genetically inferior. Or more Manticore propaganda about how he wasn't part of a unit. Couldn't blame the younger man, he'd been brainwashed since he was in the uterus of the surrogate. "There we go." He said, when the doors separate enough to let them squeeze through. He coughed and grimaced, the place hadn't been cracked open since the fire, and there were one or two or more bodies in there. "Looks like this was part lab, part morgue." He said, looking around.

"Failed transgenics." Alec said. "The ones put down because of imperfections." His jaw ticked and his eyes deadened. He didn't let himself think about it. It didn't change anything to think about it or dwell on it. It was what it was. "The computer looks completely fried, but there might be some thing salvageable from the drives. It'll be sketchy at best though." He said as he opened up the side of a blackened panel.

Logan moved over to a couple of mocked up, tricked out beds. As smoke and heat damaged as they were, they were still impressive. "Must be where they held them." He said and undid a panel. "Maybe monitored their vitals, or kept them in stasis somehow. I just don't see why Manticore would hold two kids as long as they did. They're not transgenics, they were born long before that. But the fact that they held them for so long....Manticore was a lot more advanced than we originally thought. It didn't stop with gene splicing. Or start there for that matter."

"Cloning, biowarfare, espionage, psionics, anything that could be used to control, dominate, or subvert, they were into it." He said, crawling half inside the control panel to find the Manticore equivalent of a black box. It took a bit to get it loose. "I don't know why they would take the kids at all, although they were lying about what their father did for a living. They said he was a salesman." He slid back out from under the blackened metal and got to his feet.

"You think he worked for Manticore?" Logan said. "I can concentrate my work on government workers. I know, I know, it would say ATF, or CDC or something, not Manticore, but if he was receiving government benefits, like a pay check, it would show up."

"It's possible. It's also possible he was a reporter that got too close and they went after his kids instead." He said, handing the box over to Logan. "Let's see if we can't find the right cables so you can get a look at what's in this bad boy."

"But why leave the kids in stasis for nearly thirty years? Seems like a waste of money to me." Logan said as he looked around for cables. "Even if we find the cables, the power in this place is fried."

"Yeah, but it isn't at your place." Alec pointed out. "That's the part that bugs me too. It doesn't make sense. There has to be something about them that is different. Something they would need from them in order to keep them like this. "

"Possibly they have some genetic condition, they needed to be put in stasis. They could have been the ones that helped crack the human genome for the crack pots in the lab." Logan suggested.

"Hopefully that drive isn't too damaged. It's probably the only clue we have. The only reason its still in here is they weren't able to get in here before the cave in. " He said as he searched out connective cables. Manticore had some proprietary hardware. Only useable with their cables etc., but it all eventually had to be plugged into the wall, and power was universal and only came in two forms in the US.

"Got some chips out of some of the monitoring equipment, in case they were monitoring for something other than blood pressure." Logan said. "But I gotta say, you're being really helpful about this all. How much is Max paying you?"  
"She isn't." He said bluntly. "It's a Manticore problem." He covered quickly. "Can't risk anything getting out. So the sooner they are taken care of and settled, the better." That should do it. A nice selfish reason. It's what they wanted to see, so why not give it to them?

"Taken care of? Well, if it comes to that, how about letting me get them to Canada before you do anything?" He suggested. "How about this cable? Will it work?"

"I'm not gonna kill the kids. If I was going to do that, do you think I would be here trying to sort out who they were? Or asking you about schools?" Alec said defensively. "You know, just 'cause I'm a selfish bastard, doesn't mean I'm some sort of monster." He said, handing over the cabling he had found. "Then again that's probably what you think, isn't it? Some freak with military training. All I am is a killing machine. Whatever." He turned to walk away.

"Don't play that card, Alec." Logan warned. "What do I think about you? I just keep flash backing to the first time I met you. What I can remember of it. Since I was burning up with fever and breaking out in boils and all. Oh, then there was the part you were going to shoot me. Twenty years of indoctrination, I just have hard time believing that in a few weeks you've grown a conscience."

"What you know about me, or any of us, wouldn't fill the head of a pin." He said, turning to look at Logan again. "You think you understand, but you don't. You can't begin to understand, sitting up there in your penthouse with your fine art and your wine, feeling like a real hero with your Eyes Only broadcasts. Pushing buttons and using people like Max to get your job done. So get off your freaking high horse and deal." He really did want to hate Logan. It would have been so easy. "I was a soldier. You were an objective. That's all there was to it. Not some biological or psychological imperative to kill."

"And what are you now, Alec?" Logan asked. "You were a soldier. You followed orders. What are you now?"

There was a vulnerable look that crossed his features, so briefly that it was easy to convince yourself it wasn't there. He didn't know. That was the problem. He didn't know what he was or where he belonged, or even if he belonged. His reality had shifted as surely and completely as those two boys' had. "I'm not a monster that goes around killing people. Especially not children. That's all you need to know." He said simply and blandly.

He wasn't going to explain something to Logan that he couldn't explain to himself. He wasn't going to sign up to be used like Max had. Eyes Only didn't solve half the problems he thought he did. Sometimes he created them. The sideline work, the stuff that didn't go out over the airwaves, was good work. Logan's broadcast had give him freedom, yes, but it had also given him chaos. It had taken everything he had known away from him, and even though he didn't miss Manticore, he was very much set adrift to find his own way in the world. He had to wonder how many others were in the same boat because of Logan Cale.

"And I resent the implication that I'm using Max." Logan said. "You obviously don't know Max well if you think she lets herself get used by anyone." That one hurt. It did.

"You use her." He said. "Now don't get me wrong, I can't blame you. Not every one gets to call on a multimillion dollar piece of genetically engineered perfection. You get her to do what you can't for a scratch behind the ears and an atta girl. Well not so much scratching now I guess."

"And whose fault is that?" Logan snapped. "Is that how you really see it? You're so off base. In fact, I think you're jealous. That Max prefers the company of us unaltered, substandard humans to the utter perfection that is you."

"I wasn't the one the created and infected Max with that disease." He said matter of factly. "Those were scientists, employed by the people you chose to piss off, and now you can't handle the consequences. You and Max... you're all about consequences so long as they aren't yours. What did you think would happen? No one would ever find out who you were? Did you think you could go around stirring the pot and mixing up everyone else's lives without splattering yourself a little? Everything has a price, even for poor little rich boys in their ivory towers."

"Max knows all about consequences." Logan said blandly. "And if you can't see that every choice she's ever made is eating her up inside, then you're not looking. Instead of living her life, she's worried about setting people like you loose in the world. If she could get an ulcer, she'd have a dozen."

"People like me?" He asked, shaking his head. "Yeah maybe she should have left us in here to die. Right? Nothing but a bunch of lab rats anyway, right? " Alec growled. "Let's get out of here. We've found all there is to find." He left the lab, far too angry in that moment to even look at Logan. He wouldn't kill him, but he wanted nothing more than to put the man in the hospital.

"I didn't say that." Logan said. "I meant people that don't know exactly how to handle this world. Why is it every time I speak, you find the worst interpretation?"

"Yeah, cause you don't do that." Alec countered sarcastically. "And for the record, I handle this world just fine. It's just not up to Max's double standards. Wonder where she got those from."

Logan scowled. "This is going to be a fun ride back to Seattle. I can tell already."

"Seriously, she rides my ass for being a cat burglar, and what happens not a month later? We're pulling the same heist. Tell me that isn't a double standard."

"I didn't say she didn't have double standards. She's one big walking contradiction." Logan said appeasingly. "But okay, that's a good example. It is. Complete double standard. I haven't quite figured out what her personal code is, every time I think I'm almost there, she turns around and does something like that. Then again, I met her when she was ripping me off, so you'd think I'd learn."

"Yeah, you'd think." Alec says. "But then she does something crazy, like bail you out of a jam, and it's hard to stay mad at her. I really hate that about her, you know. I would love to be able to just... stay mad... "  
"See, sometimes I'd love to stay frustrated at her." Logan said. "When she drives me up the freaking wall....." he chuckled. "Think they whipped something up in her test tube? The complete inability for anyone to stay mad or frustrated with her?"

"Yeah I wouldn't put it past the bastards. They put together some strange stuff. There's this one chick..." He grinned, then shook his head. "Never mind. Some things are better left unsaid. You wouldn't believe it anyway." He chuckled, apparently pleased with what ever memory it was that was playing in his head.

Logan laughed. "Let me guess....transgenic all cartilage, no bones." He said. He could just imagine what a transgenic like that could do....

"Pretty much. I swear this chick could slide through the opening for the food tray on the barracks cell doors." He said with fond memories. "I think there was a lot of snake in her DNA... had this ability to mesmerize if you looked her in the eyes. Something in the way she moved..." he shook it off, literally. "That and the fact that those with bird DNA really didn't like being around her."

Logan laughed. "I dated a ballet dancer once." He said and gave Alec an amused look. "Hey, it's the closest I came to no cartilage. And believe me, it was close enough!"

"Hey, dancers are hot." Alec said, glad to have the conversation onto something that they could agree on. Women and sex were fun. "And flexible.... flexible is good. " The conversation continued along those lines until they got back to the penthouse. "I'm gonna leave you to your computer happiness...I have an early day tomorrow."

"Have fun." Logan said. "How do we explain this to Max?" He asked. "She'll kick your ass for sure. And nothing's really stopping her from hitting me with a gloved hand you know, if she finds out where we got this stuff."

"Just tell her I got it. I can handle Max." He said with a smile. "She's been looking for an excuse anyway." Alec figured if she noticed stuff like this she wouldn't pay as much attention to everything else he was up to, and that made so much easier. Quieter any way.

Max was in a mood by the time she got to Crash. She'd gone to the old Manticore facility, and someone had been there before her. That worried her. Either it was the government, White, or someone else. Possibly wanting information on the Winchester brothers. It had been recent, which meant she might not be able to keep them under wraps.

The door had been fused shut, apparently Manticore was hoping whatever was in that lab would be lost along with the facility. Which meant whatever was in that lab was beyond top secret. Which meant the Winchesters were beyond top secret. Even Original Cindy had abandoned her in her borderline surly mood, going to chat up a girl at the pool table.

She was sketching on a napkin the likely suspects. Of course, neither Alec nor Logan made that list.  
Sam followed his brother into the bar. He was surprised that he and Dean could get in so easily. He supposed there were some good things about being in 2020. "What are we gonna play first?" Sam asked, looking from the pool table to the dart board.

"Let's do darts, less crowded." Dean said as he stopped by the bar and ordered them sodas. As much as Alec said Dean wasn't making good money, he'd cleaned up at that border. He had the rent money, clothes, and food. The rest was just gravy. Right now, he loved not having a curfew, even if part of him twinged to be home waiting for his father to call.

Sam smiled brightly. "Okay." He said. He liked darts better. He didn't have to worry about whether or not he was tall enough to make the shots. And he was better at it anyway. Dean was getting more relaxed with the time they were in, he could tell. They weren't rushing home and hiding all the time now. They were starting to explore things, and get to know their surroundings. The strange thing was other than the one tabloid having a picture of a guy with a dog like face there wasn't any signs of monsters in the news. That seemed strange to Sam.

"I don't get how a city the size of Seattle can have nothing going on." Dean said as he handed the darts to his brother. "I mean, you really think the sector police know how to deal with a poltergeist?" He shook his head as he drank his soda. "Maybe all the creepy crawly going bump in the night freakazoids went out with the whole system." Though he doubted it.

"I think no one notices because no one notices people anymore." Sam said as he threw his first dart. Darts had been one of the first things he had been trained in really. Darts, throwing knives, and other such things, something John Winchester had been confident that little hands could handle without hurting themselves.

Dean frowned. "You've got a point." Dean said. "What do you think about the tabloid?" If they couldn't find something in the newspaper, it wasn't unusual to resort to tabloids. "Didn't look too much like a mock up to me. Demon?"

"Maybe, but it could also be someone like the elephant man or the kid that movie Eric was made about. It didn't look too scary to me... actually it looked kinda scared when I think about it. We could check it out, but wouldn't we need to have well... weapons?"

"Yeah, I'm working on that." Dean said. "For all we know, there's a truce between everything supernatural and everything else. I mean, the world's gone to hell and all, but there are still humans and stuff. So what do you think about that clone thing?"

"I don't know... sounds kinda weird...but then we are in the future, so who knows what's possible now? I guess we find out about the monsters before we go killing them. If there's a truce, we don't want to break it. That could go all kinds of wrong... and who knows. maybe they decided this place sucks and went back to hell." Sam said, taking his second shot.

"At this point, not sure I would blame them." Dean said with a shrug as he watched his brother shoot darts. "We'll put out feelers for hunters tomorrow. I really don't expect that Alec guy to show up. Oh he might show up later to pay us off to not tell Max he didn't show up, but he probably just promised that to get in tight with his girl. Wait a few years, you'll understand." He said knowingly. Even if his relationship experience was limited, and what he knew, a majority of it came from late night cable.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know... couldn't have gotten in too tight." Sam said, not knowing what Dean was talking about but it sounded good anyway. "She's sitting over there at that table alone." He said tossing another dart. "And you never know... he might show up. Stranger things have happened."

"Yeah, like waking up from a twenty seven year coma, haven't aged a bit, unable to make a serious play for girls." Dean joked. Because it was easier to joke about than deal with it. "You'd think they'd let me get to at least sixteen." He said, shaking his head.

Sam laughed. "You'll get there. Don't know where you'll meet girls your own age since they don't have school anymore." Dean had reminded him earlier that it was summer here anyway, so he didn't have to worry so much about school right then. That had made it easier.

"There's lots of places to meet girls. I just have to find them." Dean said. "It's just weird here, you know? Everyone kinda does their own thing, I thought we were isolated before. But here we are, unsupervised, in a bar, and I bet if I went to order a beer, they'd give me one."

"I know. I don't know that I like it." Sam said. "But it'll be okay, I guess. I mean we don't have to stay in the city forever. If we don't find Dad by the time you're all grown up we could leave and maybe things are better somewhere else."

"I don't know." Dean said. "We'll see. It's just....I kinda wish Dad was here to tell me what to do." He was used to that. Even when their father left for a couple weeks at a time, Dean had instructions to follow. Structure. Expectations.

"I know. " Sam said. "I feel lost sometimes when you can't be there. But its okay Dean. You always figure things out. You're smart."

"Thanks, Sammy." Dean said with a grin. "We'll be fine. We've got the necessities, right? I was thinking we should get a TV though, so we can catch up on the world."

"I'd like that." He said returning his brother's smile. "Hopefully they have like cartoons or something. I hope it isn't all boring stuff."

"Great, we'll do that tomorrow." Dean said with a nod as he took the darts for his turn, even as a dark pair of broody eyes watched them through heavy, floppy bangs.

The stranger's jaw twitched, wondering if he should tell his father about this. Or just do away with them. He didn't like competition. It paid to have inside information. He was able to intercept this before it went any further. But before he could make any move, the two boys were joined by a few other people looking to share the dartboard.

Exposure. It was all about avoiding exposure.

Alec entered Crash and almost turned around and left again. There was Max and she was in a mood. He could tell it from across the room. "Crap." He said softly and rolled his eyes. He might as well take his lumps. Who else would they be for? He went to the bar, and ordered a pitcher of beer to take over to her table. "What's eating you?" He asked taking the seat Cindy had been occupying some time ago.

She should tell him. But he'd probably question the wisdom of her going there alone. So she changed the subject. "What did you do?" She asked. "You brought me beer, you did something." She said, and even had a hint of a smile at that.

"I brought you beer because you looked like someone kicked your dog." He said. "And you were planning to hunt them down and break every bone in their body. I was hoping it wasn't me this time." He added with a grin. "Looks like the kids are having a good time. How's the baby sitting biz treating you?"

"What?" Max said and looked over at the dart board. "Wow. I didn't even know they were here." She said, shaking her head. "I was thinking, the med lab was a pretty secure area, right? So when all hell broke loose that night, it should have locked down, right?"

"Yeah, it did. Completely locked down." He said. "Everything did until you unlocked what you could."

"I never got to that part of the facility." She said. "So if we go back tomorrow, it should still be locked down, right?"

"No, I went out there earlier tonight. I dropped off a black box with your boyfriend. Pulled it out of the consol in the back of med lab." He told her. He had a feeling she already knew. So why lie about it? But he wasn't buying beer to make up for it because he hadn't done anything wrong.

Max's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?" She hissed. "Alone? I should knock some sense into you. White would love to hang your bar code on his wall you know."

"Yours too, I might add." Alec said, but smiled. "Thanks for the concern but I was careful. It's all good. " He told her. "I can't hide the way Joshua does. I would go insane, and that's what it would take to be anything even vaguely safe from White."

He had a point. "Fine, whatever." She said. "So besides the black box, anything interesting? Was it still sealed up tight?" She wanted to know if anyone had been there before him. She knew someone (him) had been there before her, but she wasn't going to mention that.

"Oh yeah. There was a lot of debris I had to get past. I think they figured it was unreachable enough that it would keep until they bulldoze the place. The doors were fused shut. They didn't want anything getting in or out of that lab. Found a couple of beds where I think they were kept. No clue on how they managed the stasis, but I'm not a scientist."

She watched the kids from across the bar. "So Manticore didn't want them getting out." She said. "Any clue on when Logan can decipher the black box?" He had said he'd dropped it off. "And he's not my boyfriend, we're not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"I didn't say lover." He told her. "And you can't tell me you two aren't into each other. I have eyes, and they work perfectly well. Besides, you wouldn't be so anxious to touch someone who was just... someone you know."

"You're someone I know. And most of the time I'm very anxious to touch you. Anxious to put my foot to your ass." She said. "It's complicated, all right. Very complicated." Half the time she wasn't sure if she wanted the cure for the frigging virus because she COULDN'T touch him. Not necessarily that she wanted to. It was complicated.

"Yeah well, life's complicated all over. I didn't stick around to find out how long it would take. I dropped off the box and some cables and went to clean up. " He told her, and turned his attention back to the kids. "I did ask him to check out something for Sam. The kid took being in a coma for 27 years just fine, but is freaked about school." He had to chuckle at that.

"Yeah, that was a little weird. But apparently school was something kids might have looked forward to in his day." She said. She certainly hadn't looked forward to class at Manticore. That was for sure! "They're two normal kids caught up in a whole government conspiracy. I've got odds on the older one taking an assault rifle to a bell tower."

"Dean? Nah. He's a good kid. Not a homicidal gene in there. Unless you mess with his brother." He frowned then. "They can't be normal kids, Maxie. As much as I want them to be too, they can't. They aren't transgenic. Doesn't mean they are normal. The protectiveness, the ability to survive on their own in our world, when they went to sleep in a completely different one, the kid has mad skills with forgery. Normal kids don't have that."

"Maybe it was a hobby. Neither of know anything about kids. And we really don't know anything about kids twenty seven years ago. That was before we were even mixed up in a petri dish." She said. "Well, I'm not sure we can interrogate them any further. They're just going to have to let things slip."

"Yeah well maybe there's something in the black box, if it wasn't roasted in the fire. " He said. "Logan is checking out government records to see if their father worked for Manticore. It might say CIA or postman on his pay stubs but it could still be Manticore."

"You know something?" Max said in a rare moment of complete candor. "I thought that by taking down Manticore, the nightmare would be over for everyone. How freaking short sighted was that?" She said, shaking her head.  
"There are a lot of kids out there that have a chance now. Don't kick yourself too hard over this. White is a nightmare, yeah. But we'll deal with him. Just like you dealt with Manticore. So life isn't perfect. At least it's our own."

"So you're saying I might just be able to blow White up?" She asked with a grin. "You just made my night. Beer and hopes for tomorrow!"

"Now that's a woman after my own heart." He said, grinning right back at her. "I really like that idea...blowing him up. Preferably his head. Does that make me petty?" He teased.

"Oh that makes you completely petty. But it's all right. It'll be fun to watch." Max said. "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Probably lives in a dungeon, and reads all sorts of torture manuals on his days off."

"Well it's not like he has any friends." Alec said. "We'd be doing him a favor really. He's miserable. Absolutely miserable. No one should have to continue through life with a mug like that."

"He's definitely a mouth breather." Max said. "Nothing annoys me more than a mouth breather. We'd be doing the world a favor. We're totally exercising our philanthropy."

"Absolutely." He said enthusiastically. "See, it's not such a bad world after all." He glanced back over at the kids to make sure they were okay. They weren't soldiers. They weren't trained to watch out for the world around them. Or at least that was what Alec thought.

Max laughed. "Okay, you cheered me up. Next round's on me." She said.

At the end of the bar, the dark haired man took out his phone. "I've got the two in my sights. Do you want me to grab them now?" And hopefully exterminate.

"No... make sure they are the ones. Who knows how many clones Sandeman made? We don't want to screw this up. Your father wouldn't take kindly to any mistakes." White told him. "Report back when you have made positive ID."

"Yes sir." He said, and made another phone call, watching the kids getting ready to depart.

"They're leaving. Should we follow them?" Max asked Alec. "It's late. At least for their age."

"I was about to suggest the same thing." Alec said as he finished off his beer. "Not like they will think it strange we are walking the same direction. You live in the same building. Guy has to walk his girl home after all." He said, eyes twinkling merrily. It was a joke between them now. As far as the kids knew they were seeing each other. He figured they argued enough that they could 'break up' at some point for the kids.

Max laughed. "Ah, chivalry. And here I thought it was dead." She said. The boys were far ahead of them, but with Alec and Max, distance was never a problem.  
But they still didn't see it coming. The boys were jumped by what looked to be a street gang. "Alec!" Max said as she took off.

"Don't you touch my brother, asshole!" Dean said and started fighting. By the time Alec and Max got there, the three grown men were on the ground groaning. Dean had fought hard, dirty, and well.

Sam had stayed out of the way, turning on Max and Alec, prepared for a fight from them too, then relaxed seeing who it was.

"Not bad, kid." Alec said, looking Dean over again. "Where'd you learn to bust a move like that?" He asked.

"Around." Dean said. "Gotta know how to defend yourself." He said. "Come on, Sammy, it's late." He grabbed his brother's hand and wiped his face with the other one.

"We're walking the same way, want company?" He asked and motioned for them to move away from the men on the ground as people started coming their direction to check it all out.

"Fine." Dean said as he led Sam away.

"Okay. They're not normal kids." Max whispered to Alec. "I think the younger one was ready to join in too."

"Looked that way to me too." He said also softly. Didn't have to speak very loud for Max to hear him, after all. "But they don't smell transgenic."

"Sam, you okay?" Dean asked. The man had grabbed at Sam, and that's what set Dean off. No one touched Sam. That was the rule. Dean knew, he'd written it.

"Maybe an early model? Prototypes? Before they started adding in Fido and Whiskers?" Max guessed.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Dean. Sorry you had to get into a fight." He told his brother. It was a hold over from before, with their dad. Anything that drew attention, anything that caused trouble was to be avoided. He was beginning to think that maybe their dad was right. That they did need to lay low and keep from being seen, even in this world.

"But why the father figure, the missing persons reports? It doesn't add up. Every time we think we have a handle on this, more questions show up. "

"I don't know. That black box better tell us something." Max said, frustrated by all of this. Why couldn't they just be normal kids?

"It's all right, Sam. I was a little tense anyway." Dean said with a grin. "I'll sleep well tonight."  
"Okay." Sam said, taking his brother's word for it. "I'm tired. It wasn't a bad day though, not really. At least we know we aren't going crazy or something."

"There are worse things to be." Dean said with a grin.

The man came upon the crumple of bodies on the street and got back on the phone. "It's them. Your three men are moaning on the ground."

"Fine. I'll report back to your father and we take it from there. Keep track of them. Very precious cargo there. Don't let anything happen to them until I call you back."

"I can take care of this problem right now. There's no need to involve my father." He said. "He's come along way, this could make him backslide."

"He won't back slide. The younger boy is important. You of all people know how important. The older of the two is...potentially useful. Just watch and keep them safe for now. You can't afford to screw up. Remember that."

The man growled. "I remember." He said. "They're still young. Maybe we can arrange for another coma. It's not time yet. You know that too."

"And they have to grow up too." Ames said in a placating, yet impatient tone. They never should have given this one over to the man it called father. Shallow imitation of a blessed chosen being. At least they didn't mix up its DNA in a blender. "You have to let go of your ... issues... with this. It's gonna bite you in the ass if you don't."

"I don't have issues. I have doubts." He said. "He's a short runt. The stasis might have damaged him, making him useless. You want to start a tornado on the basis of a breeze!"

"You weren't so tall at 10 either. That's why we watch and wait. Your father will expect the same. To watch and wait."

"The men haven't gotten up yet." He said. "Your men. Which meant half of it might be right, the older one," he couldn't bear to say their names, "is the protector. You might need to send in reinforcements when you grab the younger one."

"We will take them as they did originally. In their sleep." He said. "And they will wake up looking into the eyes of their father and brother."


	2. Building Mystery

Alec leaned against the door frame and watched the computer screen. "Okay so between 1983 and 1993, the guy didn't file a tax return, had various odd jobs all over the country, pulled the kids out of school every few months and kept no permanent address." He said. "Now he is CIA? You know...I'm not thinking it's such a good idea for the boys to go back.."

"Shouldn't judge the man just by his occupation." Logan said. "He could be a great father, the boys obviously miss him. Weren't you the one telling me not to judge a book by its cover, or even the dust jacket?"

"The chances of this guy not working for Manticore are what? You want to hand them over to someone that worked for Manticore because they miss him? There are people I miss too, doesn't mean they were good to me. Just better than the rest."

"Or he could be straight CIA." Logan pointed out. "No way to really tell from the files, but not every government agency is tied up in Manticore. There's still FBI, NSA, CIA, CDC, Homeland Security, and a majority of them don't have anything to do with genome splicing."

"Let's at least look deeper before we let the kids know. I mean your average CIA agent doesn't have their kids put in stasis by Manticore, either." Something about it made Alec's hackles rise. "It just seems off... "

"The whole thing is off and makes no sense." Logan said. "Maybe we should track down a doctor from there, if we can, and see if they know why the kids were being held. Nice time for Lydecker to disappear." He didn't believe Lydecker was dead, the man was too slippery..

"Any luck with the black box?" Alec asked, not really wanting to deal with the doctors from Manticore. His experiences with them didn't leave him with a lot of trust. "Sam liked the book you sent him by the way."

"He did?" Logan asked. It wasn't a child's book. But he was gauging the kid's intelligence. He'd talk to Sam later about the book. "Sure Dean doesn't want something along those lines?" He said as he brought up the files he'd managed to recover. And even those weren't whole. "Fire damage, smoke damage, and someone tried to wipe it, maybe an automatic security thing." He said. "A list of their vitals, they did a lot of brain scans on them, but that's all I know. That they did the brain scans, not the actual brain scans. A few audio files here and there."

Alec nodded. "Okay... Well, we can listen to the audio files if you put them on a disk and see what we can figure out from that." He told Logan, wanting to listen to it with Max and maybe even Joshua. He over heard a lot lurking down in the basement. "Dean isn't interested in studying.. He's smart, though. He can explain about ½ of what Sam doesn't get the first run through. Which is pretty good, considering what you send over there for him. Most of the time I think he can explain more. He just doesn't want to."

"Well, maybe we can convince him." Logan said with a shrug as he popped a CD into his computer and started burning the audio he'd managed to recover. "If he's a smart kid, we should convince him to study as much as he can. Only so much you can learn on the streets." He handed the disk to Alec. "I'll see what else I can dig up on John Winchester."

"Sounds like a plan." He said, then called Max on his cell phone. He got her voice mail. "Hey, meet me at Joshua's tonight. I'll bring the beer. We have some files to listen to that Logan got off the black box." He said. then hung up. "Any luck on a school or teachers for Sam?"

"Found a couple of schools, they're not local though. Not sure his brother would go for that." Logan said.. "A few teachers on the list, they do some underground schools, but I want to make sure they're on the up and up before I go any further."

Alec nodded. "Sounds good. I'm gonna take off. Got a couple of errands to run." He said. "You have a book for me to take over to the kids?" He asked, as he gathered his gear to go. He wanted to pick up a few things for Joshua before heading over. He felt sorry for the guy. Trapped inside all the time. Constantly lectured that the one thing he wants more than anything is a bad idea.

"Yeah." Logan said, reaching over and grabbing a few books. He'd conned them off his cousin in exchange for some wine, but it was more young adult fare, bordering on adult fare. The kids were picking it up fast, he wanted to challenge them until he got them a teacher. "Let me know what you guys find out."

"Will do." He said as he tucked the books in his bag and headed out. He picked up a few things then stopped by the boys apartment before heading over to Joshua's. He rapped on the door and waited to see if they were home.

"Who's it?" Dean called out. They'd gotten a television, and Dean was splicing in cable. He'd learned to do that in the different motels they'd stayed in. Not all of them had offered free HBO after all. "Sam, go see who it is." Sam knew how to check who was at the door without letting anyone see him.

"Alec." He called from the other side of the door. "Not here for long, gotta book." He said and grinned a little at his own pun.

Sam opened the door, and let him in to the apartment. "Hey Alec." He said, closing the door once he was inside.

"Hey kid, how ya doin'?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm alright." He said.

"Logan sent these over for you, and I brought these." He handed the books to Sam and the pulled out a bag of M&Ms and tossed them onto the table. Peanut. Hard to get in some sectors. It was the chocolate. That was all Alec could figure. Chocolate was hard to come by and therefore it was too costly.  
"Hey thanks!" Dean said, seeing the M&Ms.. Oh how he'd missed those. "So Logan got any word on our father yet?" He knew Logan was the friend of Max and Alec that was checking into things for them about their father. Dean wasn't making any headway on his searches... None of his dad's old friends had the same numbers, and he'd discovered already one or two were dead.

"Not yet. Apparently there are a lot of John Winchesters out there. Unless you think he would have joined the CIA or something. He's still looking though. Logan's pretty dogged. He won't give up until he finds something."

"CIA?" Dean said. "I wouldn't think so. But he was a Marine, so who knows how that would have played out." He said with a shrug. He finished hooking up the cable. "This place is amazing. With a little knowledge, you don't have to pay for anything."

"I am so having you come over to my place to hook that up." Alec said with a laugh. "Marine huh...I'll let Logan know. Maybe that will help. So anything you two need before I take off?"

"Where's a nice, legit church?" Dean asked. They had to get holy water somehow. And with the way the world was now, he wouldn't put it past someone to set up a con church for money. Would certainly be lucrative, but they needed actual blessed holy water. "We, ah, you know, used to go once in a while. So it's a bit of a nice routine for us."

Alec thought about it. "You are going to need to go over to one of the more affluent sectors to be sure it's all good." He drew out a quick street map for Dean and gave him directions. "I saw this one while making deliveries the other day."

"Thanks." Dean said. He had some extra bottles, they'd head over there today and fill them up. Couldn't hurt to be cautious. Though he hadn't picked up on any supernatural things yet. "For the M&Ms, I'll hook you up with cable.." He said with a grin. It was a fair trade.

"Anytime, man." He said. "If you two are good, I'm out of here. Hopefully hooking up with Max tonight. If she got my message anyway." He started walking toward the door. "Let me know when you want to come over and hook up the cable."

"Just let me know." Dean said.. "Just remember I'm a young and impressionable mind, so probably when Max isn't there." Both boys were still under the impression that Max and Alec were an item.

Alec flashed them a quick smile. "I'll be sure to pick a night I'm home alone." He said.. Half an hour later he was walking into Joshua's house with a bag of snacks and a 6 pack of beer.

"Alec!" Joshua said when Alec came in. "Come! Must see. Joshua number 50!" He said, showing the canvas with a flourish. It was his one release, painting. He couldn't be part of the outside world, but with his painting, the outside world could be part of him, at least for a little while. It helped lessen the loneliness and the cabin fever.  
"Hey, that's great. I love it." Alec said. He didn't get that sort of art, but he didn't have to. People like Logan loved that sort of thing. He was more into impressionism than abstract. But the fact that it made Joshua happy was enough. "Brought some stuff over for tonight." He said, setting the bag down. "I think Max is coming. I left her a message. "

"Little fella? Dinner." Joshua said. "We'll make dinner." He sniffed at Alec, from a distance of course. But his DNA had a good splash of canine in it. "New friends? Alec has new friends?"

"Yeah, I do. That's kind of what we were gonna be talking about tonight." He said as he pulled out his phone and paged Max, he wanted to make sure she knew about it. Sometimes phone messages didn't get checked. "It's a couple of kids that escaped Manticore. They don't have bar codes though."

"Like Joshua." Joshua said with a nod. He didn't have a bar code either. Because he was first. "Everyone from the basement got out. Joshua let them out. Fire and smoke, they would have died, like Joshua if Little Fella didn't let him out."

"They were in stasis." Alec said as he put things away that he had brought. "They remember having normal kid lives. Parents, schools, all that stuff. So we are trying to sort out what was going on with them. They were kept in the lab in back of medlab."

"Stasis. Like sleeping." Joshua said. "And not growing up. Poor little kids." He said as Alec's phone rang.

"Hey." Max said when he picked up. "I'm just finishing up at Jam Pony, I'll be over to Josh's in about five minutes." She'd gotten the voice mail, but finished her deliveries first. Sometimes it was advantageous to keep Normal in a good mood.

"Sounds good. Joshua is gonna cook, I brought beer. Logan found some audio files on the black box. Figured we could listen to them with Joshua since he has over heard a lot more stuff at Manticore than we have. Something might ring a bell or two."

"Be over in five." Max said as she hung up and walked through the door five minutes later. "Hey Big Fella." She said to Josh with a smile.

"Alec has new friends." Joshua said as he finished dinner. Simple food, he liked simple food. Grilled cheese and toasted potato sticks, french fries.

"They live in my building." Max said as she sat down at the table as Joshua brought the food out. "Okay, let's hear it." She said to Alec as she opened a beer.

He took the CD that Logan had given him and put it into the old CD player and turned up the volume a little. "Subject W-1 is a 14 year old male." The voice began and started to list the details of all things physically Dean. To include a few of the more abstract genetic details.  
"Stop." Joshua said, his eyes closed as he listened.

"What is it?" Max asked.

"That's Father." He said softly. "That's Father's voice."

"Sandeman." Max said. "W-1 would be Dean, Winchester One maybe? Means Sandeman knows who he took....rewind back to the genetic stuff." She said and listened again. "Sounds like they're taking inventory, like they're just studying them."

"But why?" Alec asked and looked at Max, his mind whirling over probabilities. "Okay, so what if the parents didn't have a clue?" He suggested. "If they went into the wrong fertility clinic or something...Joshua was the first transgenic, but the boys might be the culmination of some other project."

"They had to figure out the human side of the genome before they started splicing." Max said, nodding. "Okay, we arrived in 2000. Joshua here says he came into the world around 1997 or so.....they were taken in 1993, maybe they needed some in-depth study...."

"Father was not an evil man.." Joshua insisted.

Alec frowned thoughtfully. "Okay... I am more than happy to think that there was some not nefarious reason for having the kids there. But they were kidnapped and they were kept in stasis for 27 years. He was involved with the project what ever that was. But I doubt he always had the choice what projects he worked on. Maybe he thought it would be kinder to keep them in stasis than let the rest of Manticore have at them."

Joshua nodded, accepting that. There was more, he knew. There had to be more. But he remembered the scientists at Manticore, it was better that the kids were asleep rather than know what was going on around them.

"There's not much here." Max said as she ate.. "I mean, we don't know why they were held, or for so long, especially in stasis. From what I can hear, their DNA sounds basically normal.. Of course, who knows what we're not hearing."

"Logan said he located a John Winchester. Looks like the same guy, but he's CIA. Doesn't understand why I don't think it's a great thing to find him.. I mean... CIA? With kids in stasis at Manticore? Tell me he isn't connected somehow to all this."

Max groaned. Certainly sounded suspicious to her. "So you think Winchester had his own kids put in stasis? From the way his sons talk about him, he was pretty damn close to god like. We're missing something big here. I know we are."

"I know." Alec said. "And I don't know if he put them in stasis himself or not, he was on the run from something from the time Sam was a baby until they went into stasis. About the time their mother died actually, in a house fire. He never kept a job long if at all, they rarely stayed in one school for more than a couple months at a time. He might have been on the run from them for all I know. But it's still suspicious that he is suddenly in the same sort of government post that Manticore would put someone into."

"Maybe he went into CIA to look for new friends." Joshua suggested. "CIA secret spy agency, right?" He'd gotten that off the television he barely watched, mostly only with Alec. It made sense to Joshua that the father might go into a secret spy agency to find his missing kids, that were being kept in a secret government lab.

"It's possible. The question is... what sort of man was he really before the boys were taken? He got Manticore's attention some how, and according to what Logan has found he was supposedly nothing more than an ex marine turned auto mechanic. Still too many unanswered questions. "

"Who says it's him?" Max pointed out. "They started hopping from place to place after his wife died, right? Maybe it was something to do with her. We can't discount that one at all. There's a reason he started doing that after his wife died, sure it wasn't just because he liked to change scenery."

"It's possible. something to look into, that's for sure." Alec said. "It would explain a lot. I just don't want to get the boys hopes up, only to hand them off to some guy that might turn out to be a monster. I mean...even Ames has a family."

"Don't remind me." Max said. "Well, hey, Dean thinks you're cooler than sliced bread. And he'd be the one to know about his mother, if anything. So take him out for some guy time."

"You are gonna have to baby sit though, 'cause you know he won't go anywhere without Sam taken care of. Maybe take Sam over to Logan for geek time or something." He said as he leaned back, drinking his beer. "Should probably have him research the mother too. We've been focused on finding out about the father."

"I'm sure Sam would enjoy 'geek time'." Max said with a laugh. "Just, don't let Dean go home with a stripper. He's only fourteen you know. I'll take care of Sam."

"Can I meet new friends?" Joshua asked hopefully.

"Let me work on that." Max said carefully. "I mean, they come from not this time, they don't know about Manticore, not really."

"We'll start letting them know things, get them used to the idea of our crazy mixed up DNA, and then bring them by. They'll like ya, big guy." What kid wouldn't like a big fluffy puppy that talks, reads and paints? Not to mention would protect them with his life if need be. Alec loved that about Joshua. He was the closest thing to innocent that ever came out of Manticore. He understood why Max tried to protect that. He didn't think she was doing him any favors though.

Joshua nodded. He understood. He wasn't dumb by any means, his language skills just weren't up to par. But his mind was keen. And curious, oh so curious, which was what led him to trouble time and again. "Okay." He said. Nothing he could do to fight that anyway.

"It'll be fine, Joshua. Once they're used to you, they'll probably be underfoot all the time anyway." She said as she looked at her watch. "We should go and catch them before too long."

"Let's go." He said with a shrug, getting to his feet. "They will be home. Dean spliced in cable today." He grinned thinking about the cable that would be coming into his home soon enough. He definitely liked that kid. Sam was alright too. Just a little young for Alec to know what to do with. Kids Sam's age, Alec usually told to drop and give him 100 push ups.

"Thanks for dinner, Joshua." Max said with a smile as they headed out. "Seems more we investigate this, the more questions we have. I'm getting really tired of it too. We don't have any answers whatsoever." She said to Alec.

"Yeah, me too. I'm almost ready to just say screw it and just ... I don't know... make sure they are alright and not messed with and call it good. " Although part of it he had to admit was he was feeling protective of them. More protective of Sam than Dean. But Dean had proven he didn't need much in the way of protection, so he figured that was the reason for the difference. Dean he felt a kinship with. Like having a little brother or something.

Max looked at Alec a little surprised at that. Willingly looking after someone else? The transgenic was full of surprises. "They won't be messed with. My building is pretty tight, actually."

"Yeah it is. No one there talks about who else is in there. Which is good. I just have a bad feeling about all of this. It feels like I've got the sword of Damocles hanging over my head. Not in a personal way.... but that ...something is stalking my unit way."

"We'll figure this out." Max said. "And if we can't, we'll have to shuttle them off to Canada. We all know how Manticore hates to let its special projects get away. Not to mention the government is all about shutting down any inkling of it."

Alec looked ahead, silently. He didn't know that he could just shuttle them off like that. If Logan Cale could get people across the border, so could Manticore or Ames White. "I don't know.. if we have to I might have to go with... you know... till they are settled.." He said, not liking the option of leaving either. "Don't get too caught up in the thought that the government wants it shut down. I think they just want us to go away. A place that like that doesn't disappear because an installation goes down." Yeah, change the subject. Don't talk about something you can't explain in the first place. Like why he felt so damned protective of a pair of kids he barely knew.

Max made a face. "I know, that's the scariest part." Max said. "We'll figure it out.. No choice, right?" She said with an attempt at a grin as they came up to her building. "Okay, guy time for Dean, and geek time for Sam, right?"

"That's the one." Alec said. "You know they still think we're a couple." He relayed the conversation with Dean earlier. Which made him laugh. He liked the illusion though, and hoped that she didn't decide to blast that out of the water.

Max laughed and shook her head. "Men." She said. "Boys. Whatever. You couldn't handle me, Alec. In fact, I think I'm somehow going to let slip that you take these days off to sleep off what I do to you, whereas I get up and go to work. Men really are the weaker of the species."

"Whatever moves your furniture." He said with a grin. "But how many men can you say wear themselves out for you?" He pointed out. "I mean...it could be that I'm the one doing all the work, but I would never say that. " Green eyes twinkled merrily.

She laughed as they headed up the stairs. "Of course you do all the work. I'm spoiled by my sugar bear, remember?" She said with a grin as she knocked on their door. "It's Max." She said before they could go through their protocols. Dean opened the door.

"Hey." He said. "We were just watching some TV. Even have some of the shows we had when we were....well....whatever. Anyway, the reruns are new to us."

"So are you totally into the TV tonight, or are you up for a little two man hustling at the pool tables?" Alec asked. "Max can stay with Sam...maybe take him over to talk to Logan... you know... geek time. Trust me... Logan is a real geek. One of the nicer sectors though."

Dean looked at Sam. "You up for 'geek time'?" He asked. "You know Logan wants to probe around in that head of yours and see what's going on." He teased. Like did Sam really understand half of what was being sent to him or not?

Sam looked up from his book. "Sure" He said. "I like Logan. Besides, he has a lot of books, and a really cool computer."

Alec couldn't help but smile at that. Sam was an alien species to the former soldier. But he was a good kid. "Alright then. Dean and I will be out saving money from fools that don't know what to do with it and you two can go be cerebral or whatever it is you guys do over there."

Max laughed. "I'll have him home on time." Max said to Dean. "Come on, Sam."

Dean watched Sam and Max leave. "It's the computer, gotta be." He said. "I mean, Logan's a nice enough guy. But he's also kind of a tool." In his view, Logan was trying to move in on Alec's girl. And even at fourteen, he knew you didn't do that to a friend.

Alec laughed. "Yeah he is. But he's alright. He's over his chicken pox now so it's all good." He said with a chuckle. That had been hilarious. Although Max was convinced it was a miracle and he had been contaminated by the virus because some kid kissed them both.

Dean shook his head. Poor Alec. Logan was moving in to steal his girl right under his nose. "My dad taught me to shoot pool." He warned. "I'm actually pretty good."  
"Then we shouldn't have any trouble running the hustle then." He said with a nod. "When did you start learning to play?" Conversation, gathering information, if you were good, you could do both at once and not even have to prod much at all.

"About eight." Dean said with a shrug.. "It was nice guy time." He said with a grin. "We used to do all sorts of things together. Pool, darts, fixing the car, he taught me to shoot." He missed the Impala. As homey as he made the apartment, in his head, the Impala was always home.

Alec had learned similar things at an early age but didn't have the fond memories that Dean did.. Most of his childhood memories before the age of 9 were pretty much neutral. He hadn't had anything to compare it to. Life simply was how it was. After that it changed. Alec pushed himself harder and harder to succeed to prove that he wasn't like those that had escaped, or his psychotic clone. Yet he never quite succeeded. He wasn't succeeding at fitting into Max's world either. But at least he had more fun trying. "You like to shoot?" He asked.. "You any good at it?"

"Of course I'm good." Dean said with a smirk. "Dad was a Marine, he served in the war. If I wasn't good, he would have disowned me."

"What about Sam? Does he know how yet?" He asked. "Cause if you want to practice sometime, I can arrange it." Alec believed in keeping up with skills. Especially the ones that kept you alive. Not everyone had them hardwired in, after all.

"He started skeet shooting before we....well...fell asleep, I guess." Dean said with a shrug. "But yeah, some practice time would be great. Dad always wanted us to be marksmen or something."

Alec nodded. "How much has Max told you about Manticore?" He asked. He knew they had talked about cloning and that it was a government installation, but other than that he didn't know.

"Well, I got the feeling it's pretty much an evil place." Dean said with a shrug. "And the cloning, and experiments, and messing around with DNA. A lot of it is over my head," he admitted, "but it's like they were building an army out of people."

"Yeah, they were." He said. "Max and I have a pretty messed up DNA structure. Sometimes... some of the people the created would have more outward appearances of the animals mixed in." He said trying to lay the groundwork for poor Joshua. He had been so curious about the boys.

Dean looked at Alec.. "So the dog face on the tabloid was someone like you, and not, I don't know, a demon?"

"Yeah, that was Joshua. He looked up and next thing he knows some screaming mimi is taking his picture and chasing him all over the place. Poor guy can't even leave his house. Max and I take food and stuff over to him every day, try and visit for a while."

"That sounds harsh." Dean said. "So he's not a demon? You do know they exist, right?"  
Alec paused then, standing completely still. "Demons...." He said. "No...can't say that I do." He didn't know how to proceed. "Not that I can't say it's possible, most don't think I'm possible. But... demons exist? Like fallen angels crawling up out of hell demons?"

"Like fallen angels crawling up from hell." Dean said. "Angry spirits who can't move on and become violent. Creatures of nature like wendigos. Nature spirits, pagan demons and gods. Seriously? No one sees them here?"

"Seriously, I wouldn't know." Alec said. "It's not something I was trained in, and until a few months ago I was... well... I didn't get out much."

"Were you there?" Dean asked as they drew closer to the pool hall. "When it all burned down to the ground?"

"I got back just as it was going down." He said. "When everyone was running." His eyes were distant. "I had been on a mission, came back and it was gone." Alec took a deep breath and shook it off. The rage and horror that they were killing his people mingling with the loss of everything he had ever known even though that life had been in some ways horrific, left Alec conflicted, confused and desperately needing to blow it off. "But hey ... couldn't happen to a better place, right?" He said, pasting on his best smile.

"Wouldn't know." Dean said. "I was asleep the whole time, remember? Then again, what do I know? I lived in motels. The closest thing I had to a home was a car. Oh man and it was a sweet car too." He said, sensing Alec needed the subject changed. "1967 Impala. Black, kick ass...."

"When I first got out, I picked up a ride, convertible, a little older than that I think. I loved that car." He said. "More importantly girls love that car. But it wasn't meant to be. I had to take off and leave it behind when the cops showed up where I was staying unannounced."

"Cops suck that way." Dean agreed. He'd been through a few middle of the night moves himself in his life, getting the hell out of town as fast as possible under the protection of darkness. "They don't understand a lot of things."

"They don't understand anything, and it's probably better for people like me that it stay that way. People are afraid of what they don't understand. " He said as they arrived at Crash. "So what else is there to know about your family that could help us narrow things down a bit... "

Dean gave Alec an amused look. "We're originally from Kansas." He said. "Dad's a mechanic, legally. He was a marine. My mom died in a house fire, started in Sam's nursery, but the rest of us got out." He said as he took a pool cue and chalked it. "A demon killed her. We spent the rest of the time hunting the demon, and anything else we came across."

"You grew up hunting demons? Was that what you were doing in Seattle when you were taken? Hunting down a demon?" Well that was unexpected, and he wasn't at all sure how to deal with that little bombshell. So he was going to file it until later when he could process it. Because this was not the place to show precisely how much that bothered him. Demons? Their father took them out hunting demons, or at least claiming that was what was going on. He definitely didn't want to turn the boys over to their father now. The man was probably a whack job.

Dean smirked at Alec. "Rack 'em up, dude." He said. "Yeah. Demons. Actually that one was a poltergeist. Got the sucker too. So does that make me crazy too?"

"I never said you were crazy." Alec said as he set up the balls. "I have too much strangeness in my life to call anyone crazy." He didn't think Dean was crazy at all. He thought the kid was either the victim of a sadistic joke, or the boys' father lost his kids because he didn't have the sense to take care of them.

"You have a very good point there. But if you say Joshua isn't a demon, that he was created at this Manticore place, I promise we won't shoot him. If you say he's cool, we'll give him a chance."

"He's cool. He's ... he's a little different. He's... got his own way of viewing the world. He's gentle. I think you guys will like him. He asked if he could meet you two, but Max and I wanted to make sure you could accept him before introducing you to him."

"So we don't run off screaming?" Dean said as he broke, sinking a couple of balls. "Worth a shot, right? So what else is going on? You and Max came over like you had big issues on your mind."

"We're still trying to figure out what happened to you two. Why they kidnapped you in the first place. We have no clue at this point. Found the black box at the site, but there isn't much on it but vital statistics. "

"We'll figure it out." Dean said as he cleaned the table off. "Your turn." He said with a smirk.

"You're not going to grow up stupid." Max said with a laugh to Sam as she passed him another book. "Believe me, I can score books for you. And we're working on the teacher thing."

Sam looked at her as though she had grown a second head. "It's not that I'm worried about being stupid, but I don't want to run scams all my life. I don't want Dean to have to do it, either. He does it to take care of me and Dad. And with Dad not here...that leaves only me for Dean to take care of so I have to be smart so that he doesn't get hurt doing something to take care of me. So I have to go to school."

"Your brother took care of both you and your father?" Logan asked from his desk where he was preparing another Eyes Only exclusive, on some police corruption bit.  
"Yeah. Dad would be gone a lot... you know...being a salesman. " (hunting and killing monsters) "So Dean has always taken care of me, just like he does now." Sam was enjoying the fruit Logan had given him. Fresh fruit was hard to come by in the sector they were living in. "Dad would be exhausted," (broken and bleeding) "and Dean would take care of him too."

"Well, maybe we can find something else for your brother to do as well." Logan suggested. He wasn't comfortable condemning a fourteen year old to a life of running cons. "So what did your dad sell?"

"Dean wouldn't like that He has to be the one to think of stuff, or it makes him feel like someone else is in control. He wont listen to anyone but Dad." Sam said, although there were times that Sam could convince him to do things he didn't want to do. But it was more that Dean was giving in. He shrugged. "Dad sold stuff... depended on where we were. it was always something different."

"I know someone like that." Max said with a laugh, thinking of Alec.

"So you guys moved a lot then? That had to be rough." Logan said.

"Yeah. I hate it, but Dean is okay with it. He loves the Impala and the time on the road," (the hunt, or at least what of it he had done by 14) "I've been in 14 schools already. Sometimes we would only be there a couple weeks at a time. "

"If we can't find your dad, and we're looking, believe me, we're looking, I can find you two a family in the country to stay with. No sector cops, no running scams, a real school...." Logan suggested and ignored the panic look on Max's face that she quickly covered.

"Nah, that's okay. Thanks anyway. It would feel too much like foster care. And Dean would get into trouble all the time. Grown ups don't get him. Besides it's safer if we are on our own."

Safer for who, Logan wondered. Dean was fourteen. Not possibly old enough or mature enough to take care of himself, never mind his fourteen year old brother. But he let it drop for now.

"How about some dinner?" Logan said. "I'm an amazing cook."

"Sure. Dean will be out with Alec for a while. He won't mind." Sam said. "What are you going to make?" Sam trusted Logan. He didn't know why Dean didn't. It didn't look to him like Logan was trying to steal Max from Alec. They never touched. Just looked at each other, but everyone looked at everyone.

"He's ten." Max said before Logan could speak. "So choose carefully." She knew what he liked to cook.

"Okay. Spaghetti and meatballs then. With milk." Instead of wine.

"I like spaghetti. Dean used to make me Spaghetti-Os when I was little. But they don't have those anymore. But they make Lucky Charms still, so that's good."

"I loved Lucky Charms as a kid." Logan said with a grin. "I used to sneak down when my parents were asleep and pick all the marshmallows out."

"Dean always let me have the last bowl. Even if I had eaten all the rest of it too. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" He asked.

"I think you're the only one with a brother like Dean." Logan said as he poured the pasta into the boiling water. "You two look out for each other, don't you?"

Sam nodded and smiled. "Dean's the best." He worshiped his brother. "He does most of the looking out, but I try." He said. "I know you want to do something nice for us, and make things better, but... please don't make us go to anyone's house in the country." He had been told to watch out for well meaning people that wanted to help. Those were the ones that didn't understand and wound up putting you in foster homes where you couldn't line the entry ways with salt or keep a gun.

"You know, I ran away from Manticore when I was nine." Max said with a grin as she passed Sam a plate of pasta. "You're ten, you've already got a better shot than what I had, right?"

Sam nodded. "I have Dean." He said, with absolute certainty that nothing would happen to him so long as he had his brother. "They won't come after us again, will they?"

"I hope not." Max said. "If they do, we'll handle whatever you and Dean can't, got it? There's no need to running, you've got a support system right here. And me and Alec? We're pretty kick ass you know. The whole genetic mix and match they did with us."

Sam nodded. "Okay... so long as nothing comes after us we won't run. But you never know when the monsters will show up." He wanted to warn them that the monsters weren't just government organizations and scientists, but he didn't know how.

"Well, if you have to leave, you need to tell us, okay? Or we'll go looking." Max said as she passed him the sauce.

"We won't ditch ya." Sam said as he ladled on the sauce. "I promise." He didn't know if he would be able to keep that promise but he hoped so. He liked them, all of them. But sometimes that was exactly why you had to run. To keep people safe.

Alec looked at his watch. "Come on... let's go see about getting Sam and Max." He suggested, figuring it was about time for the kids to hit the sack but he wasn't going to put it that way to them. "I gotta get into Jam Pony early in the morning. Max is showing me a new route."

Dean pocketed the money he'd made off some people. More than enough for some blankets. "Hey, this was fun. Even with the questions." He was used to people asking careful questions. Alec didn't slide past him.

"I've got an eyesight on the oldest one." The man in the shadows said. "Your teams in position to track them?"

"Affirmative." Came the voice in return. "That's X5-494 he's with. Be prepared."

Alec chuckled. "How else do you expect me to sort it all out? Gotta ask questions to find things out."

"All right, point taken." Dean said. "My dad was really good at it. Getting people to talk about noises and strange occurrences without them thinking too much about it."

"Keep them in sight. If 494 dies, that's all right. There are no plans for him."

"He doesn't want the boy terrorized."

"He can either handle it or not. If he can't, obviously we're wrong about him."

"Yeah, you keep thinking that when you explain the situation. I'll just sit back and watch the show."

"Whatever, they'll be in a secluded area soon. We make our move then."

They took a short cut through an alley. That way they avoided a lot of the bums that were, by that time, more than likely far past drunk. It was while exiting the alley and back onto the street that the shot rang out. Loud, like a firecracker, and Dean yelped and groaned as he hit the ground, then worked his way back up.

Alec assessed the situation in a split second and scooped Dean up over his shoulder as though he were weightless.

"Put the kid down and walk away." Came a cold voice from the darkness. "I've got no beef with you. You can walk away."

"Nah, I'm gonna have to pass on the offer, thanks though." He said as he started backing away. He knew he shouldn't have let Max talk him out of carrying weapons.

Dean was wiggling over Alec's shoulder until he got his good arm into his jacket. "Here." He said, handing Alec a pistol. "There's a knife in my boots too."

"494." Ames White said. "For once this isn't about you. Just put the kid down, and we'll let you walk away."

Alec didn't bother saying another word. Images of the transgenics he had been forced to kill, the explosive at the base of his skill that nearly took his life. He lifted the gun and fired.

Ames was shoved out of the way by another man, who fell to the ground with a thud. Alec took off with a run, ducking behind buildings and trash. Not quite blurring, not with the extra, wiggling, bleeding weight, but close enough to lose them.

"Dammit." The man said, and slipped into his car. It was important that he reach his father first.

Alec sped through the back streets and alleys until he got to Joshua's house and came in through the back door. "Joshua!" He yelled as he headed into the living room and lay Dean down on the sofa. "Where were you hit?"

Dean shrugged Alec off and sat up, gingerly moving his shoulder. "Left shoulder." He said. "Dude, I'm fine."

Joshua came up and saw the two. "First aid!" He said and ducked back into the kitchen. "Little Fella gave me a kit." Dean started at Joshua, but stared for a moment.

"Huh. I was expecting worse. Dude, that picture of you was horrible." Dean said.

"Joshua forgot to smile." Joshua said, at an attempt at a joke.

Alec smiled a little at Joshua, then examined Dean's shoulder "Looks like it went through." He said, and started rummaging through the first aid kit. He dressed the wound before taking out his cell phone and calling Max.

"It's fine." Dean said.

Max answered her phone. "Hey Alec. You didn't get arrested, did you?" She said with a laugh, moving away from Sam and Logan. Just in case they DID get arrested. Sam was a kid. He didn't need to be exposed to what was going to come out of her mouth in that case.

"No... White found us when we were leaving Crash." He said. "Dean was shot, shoulder wound, through and through. It looks good, still has range of motion. Max...White wasn't after me this time, he was after Dean."

"Dude, you called Max?" Dean said as Joshua prodded at his shoulder.

"Sorry new friend." Joshua said with a wince.

"Doesn't hurt. Pain is a phantom of the mind." Dean said. "You called Max?"

Max stopped cold. "What did he say?" She said.

"Huh? Oh, he said pain is a phantom of the mind." Alec didn't know why that would be of interest to Max. "We're at Joshua's. Thinking this is a good place for them for a couple days till we figure out what White is up to. Thought you might want to prepare Sam before bringing him over."

"Yeah, yeah sure. We'll be there in a little while." She said. She was distracted. She didn't like what she was thinking either.

"Yeah, I called Max. So that she could protect Sam and prepare him for what happened. Anyway... Joshua, this is Dean, Dean this is Joshua."

"Yeah, we're old friends now." Dean said as Joshua wrapped his shoulder up in gauze. "I thought he'd be shorter."

"Joshua thought you would be taller." Joshua said with a grin, exposing his canine teeth. Dean laughed as he leaned against the couch.

"I'll get there." He said. "So Sam's coming, right? They were after me. Is this place even safe?" Was any where safe?

"We're safe." Alec said. "And you are safer with us than out there on your own right now." He added. "Don't worry. We won't let any thing happen to you or to Sam." He knew Dean's primary concern was Sam, so he addressed that concern. "No one followed us, and Max is careful everywhere she goes. She has been hiding in plain sight since she was 9."

"I got shot. They sounded like they had no problems killing you." Dean said. "This is so messed up, who were those guys? Does anyone know?"

"His name is Ames White. He wants to kill all transgenics. I think he shot you trying to shoot me... he wanted you alive." Alec said. "You'll be safe here until we get something figured out. Maybe Logan can get you guys sent up to Canada where you'll be safe." He didn't want that. He was never sure that Canada was any safer than the US was.

"Ames White." Dean repeated. Name didn't ring any bells. But the guy was maybe a toddler, if that, when Sam and Dean settled down for their naps anyway. "Canada sucks. At least it did 27 years ago." At least the parts their dad took them to, which was nothing but wilderness and near ghost towns. He looked up as Sam and Max came in. "Hey." He said with a grin toward his brother. "It's nothing. Doesn't even hurt."

"You always say that." Sam said as he came over to look at his brother. "You said that when you broke your arm, you said that when you got clawed up that time... I don't believe you." He said as he sat down giving Dean a worried look. Dean was always saying he was fine, or that it didn't hurt. Sam knew better.

"And I've been fine every time." Dean countered. "Still here, aren't I?" He said with a grin. "Sam, that's Joshua. Manticore whipped him up, threw a little too much dog in the tube though."

Max pulled Alec aside. "What happened?" She asked.

Alec explained everything to her, "They weren't trying to kill him, they were trying to take him alive. Me they wanted dead, big shock." He had no doubt in his mind that if he had done as they had said and put Dean down, he would be dead. Or at least they would have tried. "Both Manticore and White?" He shook his head. "I don't know what's going on, Max."

"That makes two of us." Max said taking a deep breath. "Hey, Dean, does it hurt?"

"Nope." Dean said as he passed his brother a sandwich Joshua had made for them.

"What was it you said before?" She said. "About phantom mind things?"

"Pain is a phantom of the mind." Dean said. "My dad taught me that. Lets you ignore pain as long as possible to get something done, you know, like running from people that want to kill you or your friends."

"Your dad?" She said and looked at Alec. "Okay, this is serious shit. When I tried to smack White around, he said the same exact thing."

Alec explained what had happened in complete detail, leaving nothing out. "I want to leave them here until we sort out what's going on." He said, glancing over his shoulder at the boys as they interacted with Joshua, who seemed to be loving the attention. "A little company would be good for Joshua too."

"Joshua loves company." Max agreed. "We'll have to watch that gun shot wound, who knows what Manticore did to him. And we need to find out what the hell Ames White is doing quoting John Winchester."

David walked into his father's house and into the study. "Dad?" He said. "There's been a problem. A huge problem." He said, all pale and shocked, nearly shaking.

John Winchester looked up from the files on his desk. "What's wrong, son?" He asked, frowning slightly. "Are you hurt?" He asked looking the young man over cautiously with a practiced eye. Inspecting for blood or other signs of injury.

"I'm fine." He said, sitting down across from John and brushing his dark hair out of his eyes. "We found Dean." He said, managing not to trip over the name. "We found him. The plan was to follow him back to Sam. But Ames....I don't know. Dean was walking with a transgenic, and Ames fired. Dean was hit."

Winchesters features clouded, and dark eyes darkened further. "How badly was he hit? " He asked. If either of those boys went down, it would be devastating. Not merely to himself as a father, having just found them after all this time. "What transgenic?" He was going to have to speak with Ames White, and remind him exactly why he needed to be more careful.

"Ames said X5-494." David said. "The same one that tried to double cross him, right? I can't believe Ames would try to fulfill a personal vendetta like this. Unless he was aiming for Dean? He doesn't believe the truth, you know."

"Given who his father is, I'm not surprised. Many of us go through periods of doubt." He himself had left the order long ago, following his heart foolishly. It had taken the loss of everything he loved to bring him home to his family, and to his place in the order. "But it does take both of my boys to fulfill the prophesy. I hope you understand that as well, David."

"I look forward to meeting my brothers. You know that." David said. "It's important that we're a family, especially with the prophesy. Of course, now that Ames has fired the first shot, and Dean was carried off with a transgenic, it complicates things." Sure, Ames didn't fire the shot. But that would be especially hard to prove.

"I need you to make this happen." He told David, looking into dark eyes so similar to his own. "I'm depending on you. " He reached into his desk drawer and took out a set of car keys. "You are going to have to be cautious. I taught them well. They won't trust anyone actively looking for them now. But this will get Dean's attention if nothing else will." He said shoving the keys across the desk at his … son. "Be seen in it. Eventually he will come to you."


	3. Haunted

Authors' Note: We're weaving them in and out of existing episodes. Don't expect true canon, but we do promise fun! Review please! We love review! :)

Dean felt like crap. Not that THAT ever stopped him from doing something. But he made sure his brother wasn't anywhere near him when he changed the bandage on his shoulder. Or anyone else for that matter. He could understand the trouble Joshua gave Max. Three days in the house and he was about to climb the walls. So he snuck out instead.

Sam was sleeping. Joshua was painting. Max and Alec didn't live there, and they weren't currently visiting. Original Cindy had already dropped off clothes, books and such for them. So he simply walked out the front door and onto the street, crossing several streets and neighborhoods until he finally had to stop and catch his breath.

The car turned the corner slowly. It moved smoothly through the streets like a tiger through the jungle, gliding, rumbling softly, distinctly. Its driver scanned the sides of the road, searching. David spotted Dean. He looked worse for wear, and that made him smile. He drove past, looking at him intently as he did so, allowing the boy to see, but he didn't stop. He just kept going.

Dean was leaning against an old lamp post, but that familiar rumble made him stand up straight and look around until he spotted it. Just as he saw her last. Beautiful, graceful, like a jungle cat gliding through the street, the lights catching on the shiny black exterior and chrome, shined to perfection. He could tell just from the sound of it that it was perfectly tuned, not a squeak.

She had absolutely no peer in Dean's mind. When he wasn't dreaming of girls, he dreamt of the car. Sometimes when he did dream of girls, the Impala was highly featured anyway.

Dean didn't really need porn, if he could stand on the corner and watch it rumble by, the engine like an ancient mating call nearly, that would suit him fine.

He barely noticed who was driving it, he was fixated on the black beauty that slid by him, nearly in slow motion. His whole childhood was in that car. He figured his whole future was in that car once. He watched it until it was out of sight, the distinctive back tail lights slowly fading from view, wiping sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.

Dizzy, just from seeing a glimpse of the car. Of course, it wasn't THE car, right?

"What are you doing out here?" He asked as he stopped and got off his bike. The kid wasn't doing well at all but if he pointed that out he would wind up being told it was fine, that he didn't hurt and everything was alright.

"Cabin fever." Dean said, still staring down the street. "Thought I saw the car, you know, the one my dad drives. Drove. Drives. I swear I saw it, dude, it was beautiful."

Alec's brow furrowed and he rested a hand on Dean's forehead. "You're burning up. Come on, let's get you home." He looked down the road where Dean was looking and didn't see anything. A fever after a gunshot wound was not a good thing. In fact, it was up there in the category of really bad things.

"I'm fine." Dean said, looking from the road to Alec. "Really, I'm fine. Doesn't hurt. So why haven't you been around? Last I knew, you were dating two girls, they found out, Max ragged on your case, you played the piano and left. That was days ago. Look, I know Max can be....can someone who's part cat still be a bitch? Anyway, what's going on?" Deflect to someone else. Oldest Winchester trick in the book.

"It's not Max." He said, one hand on his bike, to walk it with them, and the other, on Dean's good shoulder to guide him along as well. "I've just had a lot going on. Trying to sort things out, that's all. You guys getting on okay with Joshua? " He asked. He didn't want Dean to know the things he was sorting out. Didn't want the kid to look at him the way everyone else did.

"Yeah, it's fine." Dean said. "It's really not so bad. Sam loves all the books, and it's fun watching him paint. The dude goes full out on it!" He said with a chuckle, remembering Joshua dancing around and howling as he splashed paint on canvas. "Food's good. Wow, dude, we gotta stop for a second." He said, sitting down on the curb. "I'm getting out of shape, what being on house arrest and all."

"No, you are out of shape because you have a fever. We get you home, I'm gonna check out that wound and have Max bring by some antibiotics for it. I think you have an infection going." He wasn't his usual smooth self at the moment. He couldn't bring himself to ease into it, or lure Dean out of his 'I'm Fine' routine. Part of him was in another place and time.

Dean coughed roughly as he lowered his head to his bent knees, breathing as deep as he could. "I'm fine." He said. "Maybe some sleep." He said and stood up. "Don't let me stop again." He wasn't sure he'd get back up.

"You are not fine." Alec said firmly. "Come on... get on the bike. I can't keep you upright and walk the bike " If he had to, he would ditch the bike and carry Dean back to the house. He hoped it wouldn't be necessary, but Dean was looking pale, and more than a little green around the gills.

Dean stopped, and swayed as he saw quadruple. "Okay, you're right. I need some sleep." He said as he got on the bike. "Come on, I'm doing better than Dad already. He got hurt, he'd chug the tequila."

"I'm gonna tell you something straight up, Dean. You hide that you're hurt, and it gets worse, then it weakens your unit. I'm impressed as hell at how well you man up under pain. But you gotta take care of yourself too. Because guys like you and me.. we're the front line. We're what protects the people we care about. You can't do that if you aren't at the top of your game."

"Is that your issue lately?" Dean asked. "Flashbacks of being on the front line?" He said as he tried to focus his eyes. "Wasn't this bad this morning, you know."

"Something like that." He said. "And it doesn't take long for an infection to really nail you." He said, watching the kid carefully, as he quickened the pace. Not sure the boy would remain conscious much longer. He was in a bad way. "How have you been keeping Joshua from smelling the infection? Waiting to change bandages until he is painting?" The turpentine would cover most smells.

"Something like that." Dean said. "Works wonders, really does." House full of turpentine smells, the transgenics around him missed a lot of things. "Sammy's sleeping.... I hope we don't wake him up....it's not time for school...."

Alec paused a moment and looked at Dean. "No... we won't wake Sam." He said and parked the bike. He looked to make sure no one was looking before picking Dean up and taking off at a dead run back to Joshua's place. "Joshua." He said as he came in the back door. "It's me." He once more lay Dean on the sofa.

Joshua came in from his painting room. And looked at Dean in shock. "Dean hurt again?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Dean said as he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch. "Just need a little nap. Sleep is always good. I'm going to stay home today, don't tell Dad."

"I won't tell your dad." He said. "But I gotta change the bandage." He said, then looked at Joshua. "It's infected. He's been hiding it. He's delirious." He took off the bandages and swallowed hard. He hated doing this. He really did. Right then she was the last one he wanted to talk to, but he took out his cell phone and dialed Max's number.

Max ignored the phone once she saw who it was. Overtime was never fun, even if you were a revved up girl. But the phone kept ringing. Voice mail would pick up, and then it would ring again. For fifteen minutes.

"You better get that, boo." Original Cindy said. "Your boy's probably in some trouble."

"If he were in trouble, I'd be the last one he'd call." Max said.

"And this might be his last phone call. Besides, Original Cindy hates your ring tone."

With a grumbled sigh, she finally answered it. "What?"

"Nice of you to answer." He grumbled back. "Dean's wound is infected. You wouldn't happen to have a line on any antibiotics, would you? I'm at Joshua's. The kid is delirious. Found him out on the street."

"What?" Max said, less grumbling in her tone, and more concern. "Okay, I'll call Logan and see what he can dig up for me. Clean up that wound, I'll let you know what I find." Field med was an early class in Manticore, they'd both taken it, with different units.

"Working on it. Be quick." He said. "He's seeing black cars and told me not to tell his dad he wasn't going to school." He hung up the phone, figuring Max would be there soon enough with out his having to talk to her any more today. Work was hell enough just passing her at dispatch. He could see the accusation in her eyes. He knew it was about all the over time, but somehow, some how he sensed there was more to it. Even if it only existed in his own mind.

Dean groaned when Joshua tried to remove the bandages. "Doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt..." He kept repeating over and over until it sounded like a meditative mantra. Joshua looked at Alec.

"Joshua hold?" He suggested.

"Joshua hold." Alec agreed. He waited until Joshua got into position and then removed the bandages. "It's okay that it hurts. Would worry more if it didn't." He told the delirious teenager. Once the bandages were removed, he started cleaning out the wound as best he could. "She better get here quick with those antibiotics."

Joshua gently stroked Dean's damp, feverish forehead. "He'll be okay." Joshua said, confidently. Because he couldn't think otherwise. Positive thinking, after all. He winced for Dean as Alec cleaned out the pus and the dead tissue, all smeared with blood.

Alec worked as quickly as possible, knowing that it had to hurt like hell, but he couldn't risk leaving any of the infected flesh and pus behind. He opened a bottle of water and used it to rinse out the wound before once more inspecting it for pus and dead flesh. Once satisfied that it was cleaned out, he bandaged his shoulder once more. "I don't have any pain killers for him, but he should be okay." Alec said as he leaned back on his haunches, hands shaking a little.

"He always lies about that." Sam said. "I should have made sure." He said, surprising Alec that he had been in the room. He hadn't wanted Sam to see that.

"It's okay, Sam. He actually is gonna be okay this time. There as nothing you could have done." He said. "Why don't you sit with him while I go clean up? He would like that."

Max came in with a bag full of antibiotics. Pills, shots, IVs, the gamut. "Okay, got 'em." She said as she looked Dean over. "Hey Sam." She said with a grin. "Your brother likes to keep things exciting, huh?"

Sam smiled worriedly. "Yeah... I guess." He said. "He likes to keep secrets too." He frowned once more. "Like when he's sick or hurt. He would never tell Dad when he was getting sick, either."

"Does he get sick a lot?" Max asked. Maybe they were put in stasis for health reasons, then Manticore (since it was filled with such nice, compassionate people) decided to keep them for their own reasons.

Sam shrugged. "More than me. But I don't get sick much. Except that time when Danny Culvert made me worms in 3rd grade. Dean gets hurt and doesn't tell people cause he doesn't want Dad to think he's a pansy or something."

"I don't think he's a pansy." Max said. "Keep an eye on him, okay? I'm going to go talk to Alec." She headed into the kitchen. "What's going on?"

Alec stood at the sink. The water was running, but he simply stood there staring at his shaking hands covered in Dean's blood. His eyes were distant, body language tense, whip cord tight. He didn't respond to Max, not even hearing her speak.

"Alec." Max repeated. Then strode over to him and forced his hands under the water. "Alec, what's going on? You're being beyond weird."

He blinked and pulled away from Max. "I'm alright." He said reaching for the nearest towel to dry his hands. "How's Dean?" He asked, deflecting the attention from himself. He didn't need her scrutiny right now. Didn't need her driving home what he already knew.

"I brought the antibiotics." Max said. "Raided a clinic in the sector. Sam's terrified, Dean's still out of it." She said, watching him after he pulled away and dried his hands.

He nodded. "Don't blame him. I'll see if I can calm him down." Alec glanced to the doorway, then back to Max. "Dean has been hiding that he had an infection. Waiting until Joshua was painting to change the bandages so it wouldn't be smelled over the turpentine." He said and let himself sigh, letting go some of the tension. "One of us is going to have come be here daily to check on him or he is going to kill himself trying to pretend that he's fine.."

"Smart kid." Max said. Apparently it was a habit back in the day when he was with his father." She was really doubting the wisdom of finding John Winchester. "Okay, well, you get the first few shifts, I'm still working overtime, remember?"

"This isn't a good time Max, and you aren't the only one working overtime." He said. "I have to go get my bike. I left it when I had to carry Dean back here." He doubted it was still there, but that wasn't the point. He was poison right now and he didn't want anyone else touched by it. Especially not the kids. Not these kids.

"No, you get to go after we get him in an ice bath." Max said. "He's burning up, he's going to fry his brain."

"Right." Alec said. "Let's get that going." He was worried for Dean. "I'll stay here tonight." He promised. He could turn off the phone and handle what came, if he was careful. "I just have to... take care of a couple things." He said as he hurried into the bathroom to start the water running.

"Okay." Max said as she grabbed the ice and started dumping it into the tub. "He's going to be fine. The wound is all cleaned out, right?" She didn't want to know how bad it was.

"It's cleaned out. He's gonna be fine, once we get the infection beaten back." He said. "I'm thinking we should tell Logan to stop looking. The more we find out… the more I think they are better off without their father." He said quietly.

"I agree." She said. "We'll just tell them we ran into dead ends. But what does White want with Dean? That's the part that has me worried the most."

"I don't know." He said testing the water temperature. "It doesn't add up." But then, nothing was adding up recently. Dead people were calling him on the telephone and playing the piano for him after all. "White is out to destroy all things Manticore, but he wants Dean alive. Manticore was keeping him a kid… they didn't just keep them in a coma, they kept them children. I don't know… Manticore may be gone, but White is still around. " He said. Once he figured out what was going on in his own world, he would see about getting White alone somewhere and … getting information. "Why was he and White spouting the same no pain bull shit?"

"I don't know, but it freaks me out all the same." Max said. "How was he when you changed the dressing? Did that phantom mind thing really work?" She knew Manticore didn't teach him that, not even subliminally.

"Not really, but he was delirious." Alec turned the water off. "He was trying to chant his way through it. You know, 'doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt'." He sighed. "It's not healthy. I told him that when you do that you weaken your unit. He has some military ideals. Probably comes from being raised by a soldier who actually saw real war."

"All sorts of PTSD issues pushed onto his kids, I bet." Max said as she set towels out. "But at least it's cleaned out. If we keep an eye on it, it should heal fine."

"I get the impression their mom didn't just die in a house fire, either." He said as he got to his feet. "Let's get him in here. It's  
gonna take both of us to hold him down until he cools down. Once he is cooled down, we can set up an IV for the antibiotics." He hadn't liked how bad that wound had gotten. He wanted them pushed hard and fast.

"All right." Max said as she went back over to Dean and Sam. "We're gonna have to throw him in an ice bath, kiddo." She said to Sam.

"I already had a bath, took one last night. It's Sammy's turn." Dean mumbled.

Sam looked up at Max "Why ice? I thought a hot bath was supposed to make you feel better?" He asked, watching as Alec gently lifted his brother into his arms and headed for the bathroom.

"He's got a fever, a pretty high one. We need to cool him down." Max said. "His first instinct is going to be to try and get out, and we can't let him. Not until the fever breaks. We're not going to hurt him, but we'll probably have to wrestle with him. You wanna stay out here and read a book?"

"No." Sam said, sullenly. "But I will… He isn't gonna like it. He doesn't like cold water on a good day. You should hear him yell when I use all the hot water in the showers."

Max smiled. "I hate cold water myself." She said. "So just sit tight." She headed into the bathroom. "Okay." She said to Alec. "Let's do this."

Alec nodded. He was glad that Joshua's house had an old fashioned claw footed tub away from the wall. It allowed for him to be on one side of the tub with Max on the other. He looked at her, then nodded as he eased the boy into the water.

The two transgenics immediately had a fight on their hands. As soon as he felt the ice cold water, even delirious and sleepy, Dean started thrashing like a cat on bath day. Max grabbed a handful of towels and threw them over the edge of the tub, so Dean wouldn't bash his head too badly, that's all they needed, as Dean splashed and fought to get out, using language even Max hadn't heard before.

Alec wound up getting into the tub with him to hold the boy's lower half in place, leaving Max to secure the head and shoulders and instantly regretted this course of action, nearly falling forward onto Dean completely. Even transgenics had sensitive delicate parts. Fortunately they were mostly hiding do to the frigid temperatures. "Now I know why chivalry is dead." He managed to get out, righting himself and resuming the task at hand. "Next time you get the squirmy end."

Max was struggling with the head and shoulders. "Yeah? Really? You want the roaming hands? He's so lucky he's sick or I'd SO smack him one." She said, avoiding another hand. Sure, the kid probably wasn't trying to grope her, but between position and his fight, it was happening.

Alec laughed. "You want what he's grabbing in ice cold water and kicked?" He finally managed to get the lower half pinned successfully, even if gingerly, and used his body weight to hold the boy into the tub. Then leaned forward to help pin shoulders to the sloped back of the tub.

"Good point." She said and helped out with the lower half. "This so isn't fair. He's not a transgenic. He's a kid. And he's sick. This should have been easy. It went really easily in my head."

"Yeah I know." He said. "White should be easy to beat down too but he wasn't." Alec really didn't like finding similarities in the kids… (their kids… sort of… like adopting really. How twisted was that… their kids) and Ames White. "I do not want to follow that down the path it's going."

"White is a trained federal agent who's gotten really lucky." Max said. Who also believed pain was a phantom in the mind. Not following that thought. "Next time, we're knocking him out before we try this. If I can score, antibiotics, I can find tranquilizers." She was soaked. She swore there was more water on the floor than in the tub.

"Why not just shoot him with something more deadly and have done with it?" He said as he looked at Dean. The kid was just a kid and they shot him. They shot him. Now he was nearly dying of the infection. All because of Ames White. As far as Alec was concerned, the man deserved to die.

"What?" Max asked. "Are you crazy? Yeah, he's sick. But he'll get better. If not, we'll bite the bullet and bring him to a hospital, and just guard him in that case. We're not shooting him."

"Sorry… I meant White." Alec said, shaking his head. He was tired. "Internal external monologue confusion." He relaxed as Dean's struggles eased. "White is responsible for this, and somehow he has something to do with everything else about these boys too. Like it or not, that's how it is."

Max sat back as Dean stopped struggling, and tossed Alec a towel. "Yeah, I know. And I hate it. They're involved somehow with Manticore too. No matter what, these kids aren't drawing a winning straw."

"I know." He said as he got out of the tub and started to dry off as much as he could, stripping off frigid wet clothing. "I don't know what to do." He said. "We can't trap them here forever. It's driving Joshua nuts, and he was trapped in the basement his whole life. But we have to find some way to protect them."

"Maybe they can move back to their place. Cindy's been staying there so no one takes it over." Max said. "Dean was spotted on the street, that's the worst part. I don't know, we'll figure out something." It was really such a shame Alec was an ass more than ninety percent of the time. Because like everyone else popped out of the Manticore factory, physically he was pretty much perfect.

Alec draped his clothing over the radiator to dry and sat on the side of the tub, watching Dean. He didn't think about modesty. Not in the presence of another transgenic. It just wasn't an issue, and Dean was out of it entirely. And well… some things needed to warm up or he was going to have a hell of a time sitting. "Yeah. We just have to be careful to keep track of them. Dean isn't going to let us support the two of them."

Max wrung the ends of her hair over the sink. "I don't know, Jam Pony?" She suggested half heartedly. It was a sucky job, but the boss was oblivious for the most part. "We can set Dean up there at least. Sam, I don't know, stick him with Logan during the day, you know, 'geek time'." She reminded him with a grin as she gave up on the shirt and tossed it over to the radiator, and continued drying off in her sports bra.

"So how is geek boy?" Alec asked. He really hated to see Max wasting her time with Logan. Okay so maybe it was just… a little but… only a very little bit… jealousy. After all, she was absolutely hot. What tomcat in his right mind wouldn't harbor thoughts about… anyway… she could do better. And Logan couldn't really be trusted. He was an ordinary.

Max frowned a bit and shrugged. "Same." She said. She was nuts. Being in a quasi relationship with a man she could kill by sneezing on. "He's, you know, busy. And so am I. Which is fine. Really."

Alec nodded. "Yeah… it's a good idea, really… being busy." He said looking over at Max, then checked Dean's forehead. It was coming down, but not enough to take him out of the water yet. "Solve a lot of problems that way. Dean figures we haven't been around cause we… well, we told them we broke up." They hadn't broken up, they had never been  
together in the first place. Although he had to admit he liked the illusion. She laughed more around him when they were pretending to be a couple. Relaxed, wasn't always looking for something to yell at him about. Okay, he had to admit that he deserved it… but not all of the time…okay maybe most of the time, but that still wasn't all.

"Well, it was for the best." She said with a grin. "The break up and all. I'm just too high maintenance for you. And the time you spend on your hair....couldn't possibly work without two bathrooms." She started chuckling when Dean started snoring. "I can't believe it. I'm exhausted, and he's snoring."

Alec laughed. "It's hard work taking on two transgenics." He said as he pulled on his boxers once more. "And almost winning." He felt himself start to relax. This was good. He had been so tightly wound the last week that he thought he was coming unhinged.  
He heard a familiar ring. "That one's mine." He said "I'm amazed it still works." He fished the cell phone out of his still damp jeans pocket. "Yeah." He said into the phone. His features darkened as the familiar strains played on the piano filtered through. He closed the phone quickly, all relaxation long gone. "I gotta go. Have you got this for now? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Max said. "I'll get Joshua to help me get Dean out if he gets feisty again." She said, watching him. She swore she heard piano music of all things. And if she wasn't mistaken, it was the same melody he'd played in Joshua's basement during that disastrous dinner. "Alec...if you were in trouble....you'd tell me, right?"

Alec looked up as he dressed. "I'm alright." He told her wrestling with still damp jeans. "Don't worry about it." He pulled on his sweater and headed for the door. "I'll be back." He called over his shoulder.

He couldn't get out the door fast enough. He felt trapped, claustrophobic. He couldn't explain it to Max either. She wouldn't get it. How could she? She had left. Escaped. She didn't know what things had really been like.

He forgot all about the bike he had left to the wayside, and just walked, following his feet to the house, the music still running through his head like a siren's call.

John Winchester leaned back in his seat. It was a deceptive move. He looked relaxed. Casual. As though he were about to talk to the man before him about sports or the weather. But this was no ordinary man. This was not a man soft with age, no matter that his hair was more grey than brown now.

He studied the man a moment, in complete silence, then got up and stretched, another deceptively casual maneuver. "Walk with me." He said, It wasn't a request. He walked to the French doors of his study, and opened them, waiting for the other man to exit before him. "I've heard David's side of things. Now I want to hear yours."

"David's side." Ames scoffed as they walked. "The plan was to follow the oldest to the youngest. Neutralize both with a room full of nitrous oxide, extract them, and bring them here. But he was with a transgenic, which was unexpected. Then there was a shot, the transgenic wouldn't back down, I think Dean actually handed him a gun." That amused Ames, that training went so far that a fourteen year old was packing heat. "494 had Dean over his shoulder, and Dean was moving around, we couldn't get a clear shot, so we had to let them go." He could only imagine what David had told. David was a bad idea from the first moment it was thought of, and it hadn't gotten better with age.

"The shot that was fired struck my son." John said the casual demeanor gone, a cold hard hunter left in its place. Many things had changed over nearly thirty years, but that had not. "I don't care who he was with, I don't care if Dean himself fired the first shot. " He was proud of his boy for sticking to training though. It was a good sign, there was hope they hadn't been ruined by Manticore. "I know you understand how important Samuel is. That's why we have David after all. What is  
coming requires both of my boys. Dean cannot be risked. "

"And I didn't risk Dean." Ames said. "I did not fire a shot. Maybe you need to talk to David again, make sure it really understands what's at stake here, and no amount of jealousy can be allowed to threaten that." Ames said. John needed to tighten the leash on David, at least in his view.

John raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you saying David shot Dean?" He asked, not believing that for a moment. Not because he thought David incapable, but because it was too obvious. To easily traced back to him. Besides, he knew what was at stake. Better than Ames, he suspected.

"I'm not saying anything." Ames said as they walked. "I just wouldn't put it past him. He wasn't really willing to tell you we'd found them in the first place. But Dean's strong. He took down three of my men, not the fighters, just the watchers, easily. They were sent as a test." If he really wanted to hurt Dean, he would have sent men of a higher caliber. "Which he passed. David was supposed to tell you about that." Since Ames was undeniably busy with the transgenic problem. And he wasn't close to John anyway.

"You were in charge of the operation. You were sent to see that things went smoothly and you cant even tell me which son of a bitch screwed the pooch and shot my son?" John demanded. "David's worried about them being transgenic clones. Not like one of them couldn't take down three watchers without breaking a sweat. I have him working on a different tactic. One that will determine if they are indeed my boys."

"I still can't believe you still have that car." Ames said, shaking his head. "You never seemed like the sentimental type."

"That should tell you exactly how little you know about me, Ames." John said. "The past never goes away. It's always part of us, just as the generations before us." He stopped walking. "I know your mission is important. I know you have an overwhelming drive to take down every piece of Manticore that you can find, to cleanse your family of its taint. But you let that get in the way of the ultimate goal. You let it color your perceptions, and interactions with David. Get your act together, get your people under control. One more incident like this one, and we won't be having another conversation."

"Your views are noted." Ames said coolly. "My men will be under control. You make sure David is as well. I think his leash has gotten a little too loose for safety."

"See that it happens without any harm coming to my boys." John said and turned to walk away. "Any of my boys." He added.

A few days later, Dean was up and around, the infection gone and his shoulder well on the way to healing. Which was good for all concerned, because keeping the teenager in bed was turning into a nightmare the stronger he got. Max took them to Crash with Original Cindy and laughed as she saw Dean start to shark the patrons.

Original Cindy and Max were at a table with a pitcher of beer. "Something wrong with your boy?" She asked.

"He's not my boy." Max replied automatically. "And I don't know."

"Never seen him like this. Anguished and all Heathcliff type. No wonder the straight women fall for the tortured types."

"Please." Max scoffed, watching Alec pound back another shot, hunched over the bar, body language clearly screaming Stay Away. A far cry from the normally sociable and flirtatious X5. "I know I'm going to regret this," she said with a sigh, "but I should see if he's okay."

"Take your time." Original Cindy said with a sly smile as Max got up, eyeing a girl Dean was currently playing.

Max leaned against the bar and watched Alec. "Call me crazy, but I get the feeling you're in some kind of jam."

Alec glanced at Max and inwardly groaned. He didn't need this, not now. Not her, not now. "Okay, you're crazy." He said, wishing she would just get the hint and walk away before they both said things he would regret later.

"What about the locket?" She asked. And the look on his face told her she should stop. But she didn't, she just kept pressing on. "You steal it or something? I went back to that house to get the signature and I saw that locket you've got in a portrait and now I'm all curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Max. Stay out of my business." Why did she have to do this right now? Why couldn't she just leave well enough alone? He downed his drink looking straight ahead, doing his best to ignore her presence.

Max bristled. "Fine." She said and turned to go, but stopped. "You know, we don't always get along---"

"Nicely understated!" Alec said and finished his drink. "Barkeep!" He said, nodding toward his glass for a refill, which the bartender obliged.

"But if you're in trouble and need my help," she continued, ignoring his interruption. "Then you should ask now and not wait until it's too late and everything's all messed up like you usually do." Okay, that was a little harsh. Even she had to admit it. But damn, something was up and he wasn't being very forthcoming.

Alec scoffed. "Well I appreciate the offer, Max, I really do. But you don't know what you're talking about." Good old Max, always positive she had the answer for everything. Always quick to accuse and condemn. No, he didn't need her kind of help. Not today.

"Then explain it to me." Max snapped, brown eyes narrowed. Oh yeah, he was already in over his head. Max was absolutely positive on that one.

"I would, you see, but you wouldn't understand. You can't understand. You weren't there. You ran, you and your rugrat brothers and sisters." He said, the bitterness he had been hiding so well came through completely in his tone. "You think life was rough when we were ten? A little schooling, a little brainwashing, some maneuvers outside? You think that was tough?" He asked her, giving her a look before returning his attention to the drink in his hand.

"It sucked pretty hard." Max said, tightly. Manticore hadn't been a summer camp, and it definitely hadn't been a vacation resort. The outside maneuvers, tearing apart a man because they'd been ordered to....yeah, it sucked pretty hard.

"Take it from me. Later on, it got a whole lot worse." He said and took a sip of his drink. He stared into the amber liquid and saw things that Max had never experienced, not even after her recapture. Things that only 6 months in psy-ops could show you. "But, you did what you had to do, then you tried to forget. And when you couldn't forget, they had ways of making you not care."

Max watched him. Carefully. Whatever was up with the transgenic, it was eating him up. Obviously Manticore had failed at making him not care about something. "I'm sorry." She whispered, and reached a comforting hand to his stiff, tense shoulder.

He shrugged away from her touch. It was unwelcome, unneeded. Or maybe it was needed and that was the problem. He didn't want to be comforted. "I don't want your pity." He said sharply. "I want your absence."

Max withdrew her hand and stared at him. She was just trying to help. He obviously needed it. "I'll leave you alone." She said and quickly returned to her beer. Oh this was going to bear some watching. There went her plans for the day. She looked for the boys, and saw they were headed to the bar for sodas, she wondered if she should intervene, obviously Alec wasn't in the mood to be polite. He'd probably take Sam's little head off for the least little thing.

"Hey." Dean said as he ordered the sodas for him and Sam. "You okay, dude? You look like someone ran over your dog."

It was in him to snap. He just wanted to be left alone, allowed to deal with this the only way he had ever been able to, by crawling in a dark hole until it went away again. But he looked at Dean and couldn't do it. "I'm alright." Alec said as he finished his drink and fished out the money to pay for it. "You two be careful. It's getting rough out there." He said as he walked away, not looking back

Dean took his sodas from the bartender and looked at Sam. "Something's up, dude." He said as he watched Alec pretty much stalk up the stairs to the street entrance. "Drink up." He said, drinking his soda. "I think we should go see what's up."

Sam drank very quickly. It wasn't like Alec to be that abrupt with them. Dean was right, something was bothering him. A lot. "You sure it wasn't just an argument with Max?" He asked as he set his glass down on the bar.

"Nah. He's been off for a couple of days." Dean said as he paid for the drink and headed upstairs with Sam. They turned the corner, hearing something going on, and saw Alec getting tasered. "Nope, not Max." Dean said as he went over to the man and kicked him as hard as he could in the knees, which was considerable.

Alec drew himself back up onto his feet and moved between Dean and his attacker. "Get back inside." He told Dean, not wanting him hurt. Not wanting him to know what had happened, and why this man was after him. He let loose all his pent up aggression on the man, hitting him and when he went down kicking him, over and over.

"Alec!" Max said, hot on the boys' heels. He didn't answer her, and she easily moved around the boys and pulled Alec off, slamming against the hood of a car. "Stop."

Alec shoved her away from him. "Stay the hell away from me!" He yelled, and turned to leave once more. He had to get to the bottom of this. Had to make it stop one way or another. There was only one place he knew where he could get the answers needed to do that.


	4. Capture

He stood there at his daughter's grave with her killer. "I don't want to be like you." He said to the man, staring straight at the tombstone. "I was going to kill you. I wanted to; I hate you that much. But I'm still Rachel's father. I couldn't protect her from you." He said and choked back a sob. "But I can protect others, make her proud of me." He said and looked over Alec's shoulder and nodded. "That's one thing I can do."

Alec turned around at the sound of guns cocking "Alright, where's your buddy, White?" He asked, figuring it was finally going to happen. He was going to die and it would be over. No more music, no more regrets.

Mr. Berrisford turned to go. "White? I don't know a White. I do, however, know a Lydecker. A mutual friend, I'm told." He said as he walked away. He didn't want to be caught in that, so he didn't walk away at a slow pace as Lydecker came out behind a large mausoleum.

"494." He said as he approached the surrounded transgenic. "It's time to go home."

"The name's Alec." He said, feeling the panic welling up inside. Adrenaline pumping through his veins. He examined his options, looking for his best chance of escape. "And I am home. You can go to hell."

"Alec?" Lydecker said, with a bit of a chuckle. "You've been hanging around 452, or Max, right? And this is your home? A cemetery? If you insist, but I'd rather take you alive. Now come quietly, or we'll tranquilize you. I've given you an order, soldier."

"I don't take orders any more. Manticore is history and I'm not one of your kids." He moved cautiously back, taking in everything around him before making his move. With lightening fast reflexes, he grabbed for Lydecker, figuring that was his best option for making it out of there alive. He didn't have a chance without a hostage and he knew it.

Lydecker waited until he was grabbed. Then took out the taser and shocked Alec at full power until he was released. "You forget, I trained you." Lydecker said. "Everything you know, I taught you. Manticore is not history. Renfro, regrettably, had to....resign. Grab him. Keep him sedated."

Logan looked up and smiled. "Hey," his tone was soft, eyes adoring, "you haven't been by for a couple of days." He said. "Everything alright?"

"Dean's completely better now." Max said, leaning against a chair. "You know, it's just everything. Dean, White, even Alec. He's having a complete meltdown since Rachel Berrisford died."

"I can't imagine that would be easy. Do you think he really loved her?" He asked, it would explain a lot about Alec if he did. Although it would surprise him on some level. He supposed he didn't really see Alec as… a complete individual. He worked hard on that two dimensional veneer, and there were days that Logan completely bought it.

"He loved her." Max said. She'd seen Alec at the comatose girl's bedside. Those were real tears. "I thought ten years at Manticore was bad. I still have nightmares about it. But what the rest of them went through after my unit left.....I think I had it easy." She said, thinking about what Alec had said. "But he wants to be alone. So we've left him alone. Not fun thinking of things to distract Dean and Sam, but he needs space. He's got a lot to face up to and deal with."

"When I thought you were dead…" Logan began, then stopped, shaking it off. "Yeah… time on his own is exactly what he needs right now. Grief isn't something you can help him process." That and he wasn't comfortable with all the time she and Alec had been spending together because of the Winchesters.

"He doesn't want my help anyway." Max said with a shrug. "So anything new on their father? Or their mother for that matter? I'm telling you, these kids are brainwashed to a high degree. Dean denies that he feels pain, both of them coat all the doors and windows with salt to keep ghosts out...."

"Okay, that's a bit odd." Logan said as he led the way to his computer room. "I didn't find out anything good. At least not after their mother's death . Before then, their father came from a good family in Lawrence, Kansas. The sort of guy you want your daughter dating. Served in Vietnam, came home, married his sweetheart. They were together several years before Dean was born, medical records say there were two miscarriages, but no signs of abuse. Then one night  
she dies in a house fire." Logan said. "It was in Sam's nursery. But somehow didn't hurt the baby. Now how she could die in that fire, in that room, and Winchester still be able to get both boys out unharmed? It makes no sense."

He started pulling up the police and school records he had found. "It seems after that, Winchester went a little nuts. Started dragging the boys around all over the country. Sometimes staying no more than a couple weeks in a single school. There are arrest reports for Winchester, most with alias but it's the same man. Same prints and same face. There were two separate occasions where a social worker was sent out to the hotel they were staying in, because a teacher reported  
neglect of some sort. Usually what they call overparentalization in Dean's case. But they could never substantiate anything. They left town immediately in both cases."

Max skimmed over the records. "Oh, I believe it." Max said. "They got out of Manticore and came here to Seattle. Within a week, Dean had an apartment, money and clothes for Sam. He definitely puts Sam first. And Sam is taking his father's absence a little too well, but when Dean was hurt, the kid freaked worse than when he found out about no public schools. He said Dean takes care of him, and Dean took care of their dad. It was weird. Like that was normal or something. Even I know better."

"I know… they don't act like having him gone is anything new." Logan said. "And remember that Sam didn't want to go to a family out in the country because it would be too much like a foster home. How does a man with this kind of criminal record, and obvious instability wind up in the CIA?" He asked.

"I'd say it's a logical jump. Insane to CIA." Max quipped. "Well, how'd he get out of all his legal messes? Anyone helping him out behind the scenes? Some connection or something? What's his CIA record look like? Is he an up and up agent, or something more like it's a big fat cover for some defense department gig like, oh I don't know, Manticore?"

"No one helped him out of his problems until after the boys disappeared. He usually broke out or they figured out he wasn't the slime bag they were looking for." He said. "For a year he was all up and down the northwest coast, filing missing persons reports, actively hunting for the boys. Then he came back to Seattle, and all was quiet. Got a job, stayed in one place, has another son, David, no record of birth or birth mother. Started with the CIA in 2000, and apparently has been the ideal CIA operative ever since. Not that I would consider that any sort of character reference."

Max sighed and looked over the records. "Another son?" She shook her head. "Not sure how the boys are going to take that. Maybe I should go talk to him, or observe him or something. Do we have a recent address on him?" She asked.

Logan nodded. "Yeah. Not far from where Ames White's family lives." He said, and wrote out the address. "It's their father's property. But he is listed as out of the country. Who knows if that is accurate or not? Either way, I don't think these kids can take too much more in the way of bombshells. And reading this history … maybe they are better off where they are."

Max scowled. "They probably have neighborhood potluck dinners together." She said. She had to think how she'd do this. "They're asking about what we're finding out every day. So far I've stalled and said that we've run into dead ends. They're not stupid kids though."

"Tell them the truth, that as far as the records show, the only John Winchester of the correct age we can find is working for the CIA and currently listed as out of the country." Logan was good at spinning things. Telling the truth the right way was how Eyes Only had to operate. It was his most powerful weapon.

Max nodded. "That should work for a while." She said. "I gotta blaze, promised the boys I'd let them run free for a bit tonight." And with Alec needing space or whatever, that left her as the sole person to bring them out.

"Have a good time. You need me to swing by Joshua's and drop anything off for you?" He asked. He had learned to like Joshua once he had gotten past the limited verbal skills and saw that there was a strong intelligence in there underneath the fluffy puppy exterior.

"Just some books for Sam." Max said. "Thought I caught Dean reading one of them, but don't mention it." She said with a grin. "Thanks." She said as she left and headed for the first payphone. Then thought better of it, guy was CIA after all, and headed three sectors over and broke into a house to use the phone. Normal neighborhood, owners probably at work, and called John Winchester's number.

"Winchester residence." A middle aged woman's voice came over the line "How can I help you?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to John Winchester." Max said, making sure she left no fingerprints on anything. Bad enough she knew this house was going to get raided in about an hour. "It's about his sons." Making sure to stress the plural.

"One moment. I will see if Mr. Winchester is available. May I tell him who's calling?" She asked, already setting things in motion to track the call, as she walked toward Winchester's office, phone in hand.

"Not important. Don't waste time, I know the call is being traced. He wants to talk about his sons, get him on the line." Max said, staring at the clock on a wall, watching the seconds tick by. "Seriously, lady, don't waste my time."

She covered the phone for a moment and a mans voice, like the purr of big cat, came over the line. "You have word of my boys?" He asked, trying to keep the hopefulness down. He had gone through this all years before. False hope, dashed dreams, broken heart. They were important to him. They were all he had left of their mother. He wanted them back.

"Yeah, Agent Winchester, I have word of your boys." Max snapped. In no way reining in her inner bitch. "They're fine. They're healthy, happy and adjusting. Totally recovering from what you put them through as kids, somehow." Watching the clock. "Or they're dead, a failed Manticore experiment. Evil business that, dealing with genes and stasis. Nice touch, missing persons reports. What's the reward for giving you their remains? What are you going to do with them? Clone them?"

"Now you listen to me." He said. "I'm not a man you want to play games with. If you are thinking of ransom demands or some sort of black mail because you think you know something, you are in over your head. But if you know my boys where abouts, you have to tell me. I need to know now if they are okay. I know my son was injured in an altercation...  
tell me about that injury." He had to be sure that he was speaking to someone who might actually know about the boys.

That pissed Max off. John winchester wasn't the one up all night nursing Dean through his fever. He wasn't the one doing the dressing changes and pushing the medicine. He wasn't the one calming down and distracting little Sammy. He was, however, the one that convinced Dean that it didn't hurt. That admitting to pain made him less of a man in his father's eyes. And the kid was only fourteen.

"He's fine. Nasty infection set in that shoulder, but we took care of it. You'd be proud of him, spouting off that pain was a phantom of the mind. His well being has nothing to do with you, and you have no part in it. You have those poor kids brainwashed to such a point that Dean hid an infection until he nearly died!" Max snapped. "And if you think I'm letting an insane person like you near them again, then the sky is purple and pigs are flying out of your ass."

"You can't keep me from them." John said. "It's out of your hands. Thank you for telling me that Dean is alright, but their brother and I are seeking them out, and we will find them. They are my sons. MY sons." He said, the old anger coming out in his voice. "Getting in my way is the last place you want to be, little girl."

"Listen up, old man," Max snapped. "You're not getting near them. I know a thing or two about so called parents like you. They're better off far away from them. You come for them, you have to deal with me. And some others. Might break a hip trying. Just keep to yourself and rest assured that they're fine and safe. Which is more than they could say when they were with you. What with the midnight moves, Dad in and out of jail, social workers coming all the time..."

"And how do you think you are going to prove any of these allegations?" He asked her bluntly. "Do you really think anyone is going to believe that those boys are the same boys that I had all those years ago? No... they are going to believe that they are who I tell them they are. And I will have documentation to back it up. My boys will back me up. You know that, don't you? That's why you are pulling this little grandstand."

"I'm not grandstanding. I called you to feel you out, see what kind of man you were." Max said. "I'm the final judge, the nice obstacle to them. They're good kids, they really are. And you don't deserve them. By threatening me and everyone else, you've proved you're nothing but a control freak monster. And you're not getting them. I know a thing or two about monsters, and I wouldn't wish one on any child. Be content with the one son you've got, 'cause that's all you've got." Had the conversation gone better, if she had somehow liked the man, she might have arranged a meeting. Or at least a call. But as much as the boys wanted to find their father, she didn't feel the least bit guilty about blocking the road.

"You're one of them, aren't you? One of the test tube creations. Not even a real person. Just some hodge podge of DNA created by a crazy old man that lost his faith. So what's your designation, X5?" He demanded.

That was a moment of clarity for Max. Not that anything made sense, but it was if she could finally clearly see all the jumbled puzzle pieces scattered about. "452, bitch." She snapped. "Give White my best." She said before slamming down the phone and getting the hell out of there.

John howled in rage, knocking everything on his desk to the floor. "Get White on the line and tell him to get his ass over here, yesterday!" He ordered. "And get me any information you have on transgenics 494 and 452." He said before stalking out of his office and into his rooms, before sitting down and resting his head in his hands, crying.

When the sun had come up, Lydecker gathered his company. Not as big as it once was, but slowly growing. The intercept signal that White had sent out to trap his kids had been intercepted by Lydecker and his men. He'd managed to save a good number of his kids from White. Which made him relieved as he stood here and looked out at them. X5s, a few X6s, one or two X7s.

And finally, another one of his kids had come home.

He was currently strung up from a pole, barely conscious. Lydecker wasn't taking chances until 494 had been reindoctrinated.

"Company!" He called out, and they snapped to attention. "This X5 is a deserter who must be taught the error of his ways so he can rejoin us in his right mind. Your task today is to teach him the meaning of pain. Until he finally succumbs to our mercy and lets us help him."

"Yes sir!" They called out in unison.

"You have rope. You have rubber bullets. You have your hands. In an orderly fashion, please welcome 494 home."

Alec adjusted his position. "Well, this is sweet and all but I really gotta pass." He managed to get out as he fought against the drugs in his system. He needed to think, needed to pull himself together and find a way out of this. "Come on Dad... Let's go get a beer or something and let the kiddies go back to class."

"494 has been corrupted by the outside world." Lydecker said. "The world I tried to protect you all from. Do you remember being out there? Being scared and alone? You're not alone here, you're not scared any longer. You have your unit. He needs to be reminded about the power of a unit, he's lost his way." He said with a sigh. "494, this might hurt. But really it's for your own good." Reindoctrination was always this way.

"My name is Alec. There is no 494." He said and closed his eyes, breathing through the pain as they took turns inflicting pain. What was it that Dean kept saying? Pain was a phantom of the mind. Right then, Alec was pretty sure it wasn't a phantom at all. But very real and very substantial. "You're not sheltered in here. You're used. Every last one of us was used. You're nothing but a number to him and you know it."

"Alec was a name given to him by 452. You all remember her. She was part of the unit that deserted you. That ran." Lydecker said. "You all remember the precautions we had to take to make sure that wasn't repeated." Even if they didn't experience it, it was rumored. And legendary. "We don't respect deserters here. We don't accept their view points. Your designation is 494. If you need proof of that, I can get a couple of mirrors and you can look at your bar code again. You are a soldier, you were an officer here. Respected. Feared. What are you now?"

"Alec McDowell." He said. "I'm not going to kill for you anymore. You may as well put me down now. Get it over with. I will not break." He could feel the welts rising on his body. Even his advanced healing couldn't keep it at bay with the constant onslaught.

"You will." Lydecker said. "Gag him. Once he's unconscious, bring him to Psy Ops."

He wanted to stand his ground. Wanted to look forward, staring down all the transgenics that came to attack him. But the drugs, the pain, the trauma of Rachel's death, all combined sapped his will, and when Lydecker mentioned Psy Ops, his blood ran cold.

"No!" He yelled and struggled against the chains, clenching his jaws down tight to prevent the gag being inserted. He was oblivious to the pain as he struggled and fought to be free, one of the links of chain stretched.

"You pushed me to this, 494." Lydecker said with a shake of his head, drinking coffee out of a travel mug from an amusement part. "Reinforce that chain once he's quiet."

"You sick son of a bitch!" He managed to get out before they were able to force the gag into his mouth. He had no intention of being quiet, not any time soon. Adrenaline overrode the drugs in his system and he continued to struggle until his body simply couldn't struggle any longer. Even then, exhausted, and in pain, he wouldn't let himself drift into unconsciousness. Every second he kept his eyes open, every blow that he endured standing there, was another that he was not back in Psy Ops.

Lydecker watched, drinking his coffee, until finally 494 was overcome and fell into unconsciousness. He lasted longer than Lydecker thought he would. That was a good sign, surprisingly.

"So close." He said, shaking his head as he ordered the company to back off. Unconscious, bleeding, swelling in different parts, it was then that the chain restraining the transgenic finally snapped, and 494 fell into a crumpled, unconscious pile at his feet. "Take him."

Sam folded his arms across his chest and glared at Max and Logan. "No... something has happened. He wouldn't ditch us like that. Not Alec. If he was going to be gone a long time, he would have said good bye."

"Maybe you two didn't know Alec as well as you thought you did." Logan said carefully. "He's very good at letting someone see what he wants them to see. He's going through a difficult time right now, and he needed some space."

"Okay, maybe you two don't get along because of Max, but he wouldn't just cut out on me and Sam." Dean countered.

"Max doesn't have anything to do with this..." Logan attempted.

"Yeah, whatever." Dean said and Max shook her head. She knew that whole relationship fraud was a bad idea.

"Alec could be in trouble some where and you wouldn't know. Just cause you don't think he cares but he does, and you don't abandon people you care about. Even if you don't like them sometimes." Sam said.

"I'm sure he is just taking some time to get away for a while. Someone he knew and cared about died and he isn't dealing with it very well. Maybe he figures it's better for you two if he keeps his distance." Logan offered.

"Then this is the worst time for us to keep our distance!" Dean said. "Are you an idiot? I really mean that. Deep down, are you that much of an idiot? He needs us. We're, all of us, we're all he has. You guys can't find my dad. That really upsets me. I'm not dealing with it very well," especially with all the Impala sightings, "but if I pulled away, you wouldn't let me."

Dammit, Dean had a point, Max thought. "Okay, we'll find him then. And knock some sense into him."

Sam nodded. "It's been two weeks. Where do we start looking?" He asked, getting into the mind set of the hunt. It was old familiar territory for the boys. Sam had still been stuck on research detail at the tender age of ten but he knew how it was done. Hunting down Alec wasn't going to be that different from hunting down anything else to Sam's way of thinking.

Dean took over. At the ripe old age of fourteen, he had a better grasp on research and tracking. "Well, where hasn't he been? He hasn't been to work. He hasn't been to his apartment. He hasn't been to Crash, and there's no sign of him on the black market." He said. "So if we were Alec and feeling hurt and all, where would we go?" He said and sat back. "Or was he taken? I'm just saying, those guys that shot me? They knew who Alec was, and they didn't seem to like him very much."

"Did Alec have a place he went to?" Logan didn't know Alec well at all. He had actively made a point of not knowing him really. "Okay... how about we reverse this... where was the place anyone saw him or knew where he was?"

"That night at Crash when the guys outside the bar tried to kidnap him." Sam said, looking at both of the adults as if that should tell them he was in trouble on its own. People had been trying to kidnap him after all.

"That was Berrisford. And I'm not sure they were trying to kidnap him or just give him a beat down." Max said.

"The dad of the girl that died? The one Alec loved? Then don't you think we should talk to him and see what he knows?" Dean said, as if the adults should have thought of it first, and he was embarrassed on their behalf that they didn't.

"I keep forgetting they aren't hunters too." Sam said, seeing the look in his brother's eyes. "I don't know... if someone were to hurt Dean, on purpose or not... and I wanted to hurt them, I don't think I would stop just cause the funeral happened. I mean, that would make me even more upset."

"Fine, I'll go talk to Berrisford." Max said, holding her hands up.

"I'm coming with you." Dean said. "You might not ask the right questions." He'd seen his dad at work plenty of times.

"No." Logan said. "That's not a good idea. Especially not if you think he had something to do with Alec not being around." He wasn't willing to admit that he was in trouble just yet. He rather liked the idea of him having just... gone away. "That could be dangerous."

Sam actually scoffed. "You don't know what dangerous is." He said honestly. "Dad and Dean have taken on a lot worse than a guy with a mad on for someone else. They're heroes."

Dean beamed with pride at being compared to his father. While Max winced. What she knew of John Winchester, he was no hero. "Dangerous is waking up in a burning lab twenty seven years out of your time. Dangerous is being hunted for unknown reasons. This? This is an interview." Dean said.

"Fine." She said. She could watch out for Dean. "Sam, stick with Logan until you hear from us, okay? Won't take long."

Sam looked at Dean to get a nod before answering. "Yeah okay, I can do that." Dean was the authority in his life. Max was great and she was trying to help them, but she wasn't in charge. Not when Dean wasn't sick.

"We'll be here." Logan said with a sigh. Well, there went plans again. All on account of Alec. Again.

Soon Max and Dean were standing on Berrisford's door. "We'd like to see Mr. Berrisford." Max said to the housekeeper.

He was a tired looking man, eyes still rimmed with red from grief. "Please come in. I don't have much time to spare for you. What can I do for you?"

Max was about to speak when Dean jumped in. "We're looking for my brother. Well, he's not really my brother, but he takes care of me and my little brother, who really is my brother." He said, putting on a heartbroken lost face. It wasn't much of a stretch. "I know he went to the funeral of your daughter, and I'm really sorry for whatever he did, but he's all I got left in the world, and I'm really worried about him and I'm hoping you know where he went after. We haven't seen him, and I didn't know who else to ask, I know you hate him, and have every reason to, but he's all I've got."

He'd been taught well by John. Acknowledge the other person's feelings. Lay on some guilt. Don't discount the facts. More guilt. Lost boy look always worked well.

"I'm sorry that you have lost your family, to the point that you have to depend on that man." He said, his eyes showing the compassion he felt. "Your friend isn't coming back. I know that isn't what you wanted to know but sometimes closure is better than...waiting." He looked down. "He went back where he came from."

Max was shocked by how good Dean was at this. But she was even more shocked by Berrisford's confession. She paled. "What?" She said, dark eyes wide in a pale face. "You....sent him back....to where he came from?" Oh this was not good.

"That's right. His handlers came to pick him up. I'm sorry for the sorrow this causes you, but you are better off without him. Even if it doesn't feel like it right now." He got to his feet. "I'm sorry." He said shaking a little, holding his own tears back. "I really can't do this right now. Can you find your way out?"

"Yeah....sure....." Dean said numbly as Berrisford walked away and disappeared into a room. He looked at Max with wide eyes. "I....so....Manticore? I thought you destroyed it?"

"I guess I just chopped an arm off a Hydra." Max said. "We have to get back." They returned to Logan's quickly. "Manticore has him. Manticore's rebuilding and it has Alec." She told Logan.

"What?" Logan said, stunned by the news "I … " what could he say? I'm sorry? We'll find him? We'll finish off Manticore? None of it changed anything or would be truly reassuring.

Sam looked at Dean and moved to stand next to him. Dean looked traumatized by the idea of it all. Truth be told, Sam needed the reassurance as well. Not only was their friend in serious trouble, but the shadow of Manticore was now over their own heads once more.

"Get ahold of Lydecker. He's gotta be ready to come onto the radar." Max said. "Son of a bitch." She paced a bit. "We need to find out where Manticore would have its installation."

"What are you going to do?" Dean asked, an arm around his brother.

"I'm going to break him out. What else?" Max said with a grin. As if she were merely going to the store for bread.

"I'll see what I can find out." Logan said, moving toward the computer room "But first things first, we need to find everyone that Alec could reveal their location, and get them into safe houses."

"Alec wouldn't betray us." Sam said.

"No, he wouldn't betray us on purpose, but Manticore has ways of finding things out. It's just to be on the safe side." Logan said, soothingly. He didn't think Alec could withstand the constant onslaught of torture. He didn't know of anyone that could really. Not if they really went at it. Alec had enough information in his head that he didn't see how they wouldn't.

"We're fine." Dean said. "Concentrate on finding where Manticore is so we can go get him."

"Dean, there's no we. You can fight, I give you that. But you're not going in." Max said.

"When Logan finds a place, we'll talk about it then." Dean said firmly. Sounding much older than fourteen. "Right now, that's the plan. Find Manticore."

Logan sighed. "It can't be too far away. They are trying to recapture the transgenics that escaped. They won't want to travel far before containing them." He started searching the databases he had access to, calling in contacts, and sending out feelers for Lydecker. "Why don't you two go over and warn Joshua for us? So he can pack up and Max can get him to someplace safe later tonight."

"We'll try." Dean said, knowing Joshua wasn't going to want to hide anymore than them. "Come on, Sam, we can get something to eat on the way."

"We can't afford a war on two fronts, Max. I'm all for getting Alec out of there." Mostly because of the information in Alec's head that could bring just about everyone down. "But we can't afford to bring them all down on us just yet. The last time he turned Seattle into a police state, it was a nightmare for everyone, not just you."

"Okay, let me rephrase. Alec knows you're Eyes Only. He knows where a good amount of transgenics are. He knows where Dean and Sam are." Max said. "Do I really need another reason to get him the hell out of there? Besides the obvious reason that they're torturing him?"

"I'm not saying don't go in and get Alec. I'm saying we can't afford to let everyone out this time. We can't afford to bring that all down on our heads. We'll keep track of it, and once we have White and his men dealt with, then we can think about Manticore. Besides, maybe they will distract each other for a while."

"Fine, I'll just go in and get Alec." She said. "I'm going to start staking out some bases and new warehouses outside the city. Call me if you find anything." Logan didn't understand. He lived in a penthouse and fought for justice and everything else. But he still lived in a penthouse. The thought of leaving anyone in Manticore made her stomach twist.

But Alec couldn't accept it. He wouldn't. To accept it would mean he had to betray everything and everyone he had come to believe in and care about since being freed of Manticore. It wasn't in Alec to betray anyone. Not any more. Not for them. It didn't matter if Max had asked about him or gone looking. They weren't telling him anything he didn't know. He still wouldn't tell them anything, and he would never submit because submission would be the death of who he was, forever.

Lydecker nodded and the man started in another direction.

"Where are the Winchesters? They're not safe out there, from their father. We can keep them safe. We did keep them safe. Where are they? You know they're in danger. Where are they? We can keep them safe. You know their father is dangerous. Every moment they're not here, is a moment that their father can get them. They're in danger. Where are they? Don't you want them to be safe? Do you want them in danger?"

Alec had only to remember the stasis chambers to stave off the emotional response, to remember who it was he needed to protect Sam and Dean from. Manticore had stolen their lives for 27 years. How could that be any better than John Winchester?

He tried to struggle, but couldn't. He couldn't move, couldn't look away, couldn't escape the blinding pain in his head no matter how much he tried. He had survived this before. They had said it had been a month. He had survived six before. With much less on the line. He could do this. He could make it through this. Or so he told himself.

So tired, so very tired...

"It hurts. I know it hurts." He said hours later. "It can all be over, no more pain. All the pain will go away. Just tell us what we need to know. We need to know this, you know this. You know. You know they're different. You know you're different. You don't belong out there, you belong here. With us. Just tell us what we need to know and I'll make all the pain go away. Just tell us. And it can all go away."

Little movements. Small little movements. Things that looked like little more than squirming. That was how he had managed it. It had taken patience that no one would have attributed to Alec. Not those that knew him as Alec anyway. People looked at Alec and saw the facade, not what lay at the core beneath. Wounded little boy and terrifying soldier all rolled up into one very confused and, at the moment, pained package.

But it was the small unnoticed movements that allowed him to get one hand free. That was all he needed, one hand. All he wanted. They could do with him what ever they wanted once he was done, and he prayed that it would be death, the real death, not the death of the soul they were trying to force upon him.

He waited, patient, ever so patient, gathering reserves even as it felt as though his mind and body were trying to explode with the pain. When the scientist came close bent in to speak to him in that droning placating voice, Alec moved. His hand snaked up and closed about the doctor's throat, clenching ever tighter.

The scientist gagged and tried to breath, both hands trying to release the grip Alec had on his throat. With little success as he turned blue and flailed harder.

"That's it, 494." Lydecker said from the wall he was leaning on. "Snap his neck. It's easy to do, you know that. And think of the relief you'd feel for five minutes." The man was human. That made him disposable in this program. "It's in you, you know it is. A killer. Highly trained soldier with no conscience. No soul."

Lydecker was actually quite proud of the fight Alec was putting up.

If Lydecker had kept his mouth shut, if he had moved to save the man, Alec would have done exactly as the man had told him. He would have snapped his tormentor's neck. Instead he let him go and knocked away the laser, pulled the gag from his mouth. "My name is Alec, and I'm not a killer." He knew there was no escape to be had in that moment so he didn't try any further. He wouldn't even get off the table if he tried, so he lay there glaring at Lydecker. His head ached but the relief at the absence of new pain left him weak, and gasping.

"Take him back to the tank." Lydecker said. Sensory deprivation. "If he wants, he can join us for drill in the morning." He looked at his watch. "Sixteen hours of nothing. Sleep well, 494." Alec? There was no Alec. There was only 494. And the sooner the transgenic realized that, the easier his transition would be.

The weeks had drug by into nearly two months and Logan had lost any real hope of finding Alec. Lydecker had kept his silence, but his presence was felt as even more transgenics were disappearing. There was a tension between he and Max that made it hard to focus on anything else.

He looked up hearing the door open and close.

"Anything?" Max asked when she came in. "I'm serious, anything? It's been two months. If we're going to find him and have him be Alec, we have to find him soon."

"I'm doing the best I can." Logan said sharply, not meaning to but he was getting tired of being reminded that they had to find Alec. He was certain that it was already too late as it was. "I'm trying to track down anything that could indicate a base. They learned from the last time you know. They are hiding themselves better."

"So you've got nothing?" Max asked. She paced a bit. That was not good news. "I'm going on a road trip, I'll find the installation one way or another." As a last resort she was willing to let herself get caught as bait.

"Give me another day or two. I'm tracking electricity use, and food deliveries. Sorting out which of the locations would be likely. Don't go off half cocked and get yourself hurt or captured trying to save Alec of all people. You are going to wind up with both of you imprisoned by Manticore."

"What do you mean by that?" Max demanded. "Alec of all people. Because you don't like him, or whatever, that makes him less worthy of being saved? Would you be holding on for two months if I were in Manticore right now, being tortured by Psy Ops and reindoctrinated?"

"I'm not delaying this, if that is what you are implying. I don't hate Alec I just think he gets you into a lot of trouble. I am trying to figure out where he is. But it takes time to track down a super secret military installation. I'm good but I'm not all knowing or psychic."

"Then I'll find a psychic." Max said. "I gotta go check on the boys. I'll call you later."

"Max." Logan sighed. He hated that Alec was coming between them and he wasn't even there. "Fine. I'll talk to you later." He said and turned back to his computer. He needed to find some answer to give her, before she got herself into serious trouble.

"Later." Max said. She wasn't able to move Joshua from his house. Because it had been his father's house apparently. So the Winchesters were back with Joshua, which made it easier for her to check on them. She picked up paints, chocolate, and some soda and headed over there. "Hey Sam." She said with a smile. "How's it going?"

Sam shrugged. "It's going. Joshua said Dean smelled like Alec when we came in today and now Dean is all depressed, 'cause it reminded him of Alec, and when Dean is depressed, he is cranky and a pain to be around. "

Max gave Sam a tight smile. "Tell you what, bring the M&Ms to Dean, with the soda, and maybe he'll feel a little better. I've got some paints to bring to Joshua. Where's he at? The living room?"

Sam nodded about Joshua. "Yeah , okay. It won't make Dean feel better, but he will be eating them so at least he won't be snarking at me." Sam said as he marked his place in his book and took the peanut M&M's and a can of soda up to Dean's room.

Max watched him go and went to where Joshua was. "Okay, you've got more black, white, some shade of red and a bunch of blues." She said, laying the tubes down on his table. "So, Joshua, what did you mean that Dean smells like Alec?"

"Dean... smell like Alec." Joshua said as he put the paints away. "First time meet, smell like gun powder and blood. Then infection and medicine. But now, smell like... Alec," he said, "like Alec smells like Alec." Not cologne, not from environment, but the actual smell that is Dean, smelled exactly like the smell that was Alec.

"Is that normal?" Max asked. "That two people smell alike? Joshua, you've got the nose, not me. So I'm a little dumb sometimes."

Joshua shook his head. "Not for people. For clones. Clones smell the same, people smell a little alike. Dean and Alec smell the same. Dean and Sam smell a little alike."

Max sat down and stared at Joshua. "Holy shit." S he said. "Dean and Sam smell a little alike because they're brothers. I get that. Dean and Alec...is it possible that Alec's human DNA came from Dean? That Sam and Dean, who were in Manticore for years in stasis before any of us were created, they're basically the building blocks?"

Joshua nodded. "Yes... very possible. Boys strong, healthy, smart. Good choice. Makes boys family." Joshua said with a grin, and a bit of a laugh.

Max smiled widely for the first time in two months. "I think they already were before we knew this." She said. Family was what you made of it, she knew that. She made her own family, she had to, she really didn't have a 'true' family. So she had made her own. All of them had.

Alec closed his eyes, and let the darkness envelope him. It was soothing now. It had been maddening before, but now it was comfort and it was solitude. A place where the pain went away, and his thoughts were his own. What few he allowed himself.

He had fewer dreams now, waking or otherwise, when enclosed in the tank. He kept his mind blank, pushing aside thoughts of home or the boys. Better to lose that part of himself than betray those he cared about. It wasn't Manticore that was eroding away what was left of Alec. It was Alec himself, choosing the only form of escape he had available to him.

Oblivion.

Lydecker finally called Logan. He'd let the man wait. He knew his research had made its way to Logan. So he just let it simmer. And 494 had only confirmed what he knew, that 494 was hanging around with 452. Making 494's absence a worry for Logan, if only what it would mean for 452.

"You got my research?" His voice came over the line.

"I did. That's interesting, to say the least. I've been trying to get ahold of you for a couple of months now." Logan said. "What can you tell me about the new Manticore activity?" The idea of Manticore being around in some form or another since ancient times was not exactly comforting.

"You should be asking me about old Manticore activity." Lydecker said. "Or, actually, how Manticore got started. Why it was started, in its official form. Why we made transgenics. What else is out there. You shouldn't ask me stupid questions, I'm not a patient man."

Lydecker's tone when dealing with Logan had changed and that sent off alarms in Logan's head. "Okay… tell me about that. How it got started, why you made transgenics." He said. The man had a reason for wanting him to know what was going on now, when he could have told him all these things earlier. That meant an agenda.

"I didn't make the transgenics. I was involved in picking desirable traits, but I'm not a scientist." Lydecker said. "Sandeman is a scientist. Or was. He's missing. Anyway, not important. The important part is his history, his past. Figure that out, you'll have your answers. Meanwhile, I suppose it hasn't escaped your notice that I'm calling my kids home. It's past their curfew, leave is over."

"Yeah, well it isn't going over very well. You know how well it went last time you tried to call everyone home. It's not going to go over any better this time." He knew better than to ask about Alec. He would be told what Lydecker wanted him to believe not the truth. "This time, I think she really might just kick your teeth in."

"It's going over well, actually." Lydecker said. "They're soldiers, Logan. They're not delivery boys, or cat burglars. They're soldiers. It's what they were created for, it's what's deep down. You know that as well as I do. And with them being hunted right now, they're safer at home, don't you think? Though they do have more skills than, say, a fourteen year old boy and his brother."

"Why did Manticore have the boys?" He asked, although he bristled at the implied threat to the kids. He'd get them far away from Lydecker if he had to, even if they didn't want to go. He might be able to deal with Alec reverting back to his training, but he wasn't going to let them get their hands on a couple innocent kids.

"Everyone says science and religion are mutually exclusive. They're not." Lydecker said. "They were safe at Manticore, and the world was safe. I'm not the bad guy here, Logan. No matter what propaganda your girlfriend has spoon fed you. I'm offering you amnesty for Max for the boys. You need to think long and hard on that one, I'd guess. Don't give me an automatic answer. But you can't keep those boys safe forever. And it's not me that you're keeping them safe from. Remember that."

"What's your definition of amnesty ?" Logan asked. "Putting two kids into stasis? Torturing Max until she complies with what you want? As I am sure you have done to Alec by now." Logan said. "Your track record isn't giving me any reason to think they are any safer with you than anywhere else. Bad guy or not."

"Then you need to research, don't you." Lydecker said, dryly. "I was willing to just write off Max. And the boys were never harmed when they were with us. They were perfectly healthy, weren't they?"

"Of course they were harmed. They were kidnapped and kept in stasis for 27 years. They should be grown men with families of their own right now. They aren't some science experiment. They aren't transgenics. They had a father, and a life. I'm not going to let you take their lives from them again."

"And what do you know of their father?" Lydecker asked, with a hint of a chuckle in his voice. "Really know about him? If you knew, you wouldn't be lip servicing me now with your noble, but wrong, ideals. If their father gets his hands on them, you're going to wish you took me up on my offer."

"Why don't you tell me, instead of dropping cryptic hints and expecting me to cave on the strength of your condescending tone?" Logan said. "I know he is bad news. Beyond that, why don't you enlighten me?"

"You're supposed to be a smart man. You figure it out." Lydecker said and hung up.

Logan swore and dialed Max's number, when she answered. "Can you come over here, now, with out the boys?" He asked. "Lydecker just called me." He wasn't going to tell her until she got there that he was willing to forget about her and leave her alone in exchange for the boys. At least not over the phone… probably not until she returned with Alec… however and whenever that was. He knew her. She would be too angry to let it go.

"Yeah, sure. I've got a favor to ask anyway. I'll be over." She said and said good bye to Joshua, and headed over to Alec's apartment. "Typical." She said. For all that military discipline he liked to brag about, his place was a pigsty. And he didn't seem to understand the concept of laundry. Which was great for her, actually, as she grabbed the shirt he'd worn to Berrisford's that night and headed over to Logan's. She handed him two shirts. "This is Alec's. It's got blood on it. This is Dean's, also with blood on it. Can you do me a favor and get someone to run a DNA test on them? I think they have more in common than a tendency to bleed."

Logan frowned "Yeah, I can have that done. " He said. "More in common. You think they are came from the same genetic makeup? That would explain a few things." And not just Dean and Alec's similarities. "Lydecker called, wanting the boys. He said some very cryptic things." He said and relayed the conversation with out mentioning that the colonel was willing to let her go in exchange for the boys. It wasn't an option anyway. "But the only way Dean would have the same geneticsas Alec would be if he was used as the original donor for him and Ben, and Lydecker is looking to get his donors back."

"Joshua said he and Alec smell the same. Not like the same, the same." Max said. "Would make sense. Which means there might be an X5 walking around with Sam's genes as well. Really creepy when you think about it. Dean's kinda adopted Alec as a big brother, when he's really kinda like Alec's dad. So Lydecker's behind Manticore's revamp, huh? And he's getting all cryptic. Again." She leaned back in the chair. "Well, what do we know? We know Manticore had the boys. We know Alec and Dean have genetic similarities. We know Dean spouts the same so called wisdom as White, taught to him by his father. We know his father is nuts. We know Lydecker is nuts. So where's that put us?"

"This puts us needing more information on White and what he and Winchester are into. Meanwhile, I managed to get a break before Lydecker called. I can get you into the base, I can't get you out again. That you are going to have to do on your own." He said.

"Then that's what I'll do." Max said, relieved. At least there was some good news. "Thanks." She'd go in, get Alec, and get out. Anyone that wanted to come with her, was more than welcome to. And she'd try not to blow the place up this time.


	5. Rescue

Max waited at the pick up point. Dressed in black and hair pulled back tightly. It was all a matter of timing. And she nearly lost it all as she was holding onto the axle. Because, dammit, she wasn't alone.

"Dean! What the hell!?" She hissed to the young teenager holding onto the axle next to her. Who gave her a cocky grin.

"You really gotta work on your secret keeping. Totally sucks." He said. "Logan left the delivery point out for anyone to see. And did he really think I was going to believe it was a wine pick up?"

"Dean, get off. Next time this thing stops, seriously, let go. Deeply dangerous. This isn't an interview. I'm going into Manticore."

"Yeah, to get Alec. You thought I wouldn't want to come?"

"I thought you shouldn't come. Big difference."

"Alec's family." Dean said firmly, adjusting his grip. "And family means no one gets left behind. Or forgotten."

"That's it! No more movies for you."

The truck eventually pulled through the gates and past the check point. Men boarded the truck and searched it thoroughly, but as expected, never once checked underneath. It then pulled forward again and drove through winding wooded roads until it passed yet another check point, before driving onward again and stopping half a mile deeper in, at the complex. The drivers got out and soon people were coming to unload the truck.

"Now follow me." Max hissed. "I'm serious. No hot dogging. This is MY operation."

"Yes ma'am." Dean said with a chuckle as they eased off the bottom of the truck. He followed Max quickly over to a building, where the transgenic known as Bullet was.

"Hey." Max said. "Heard through the grapevine you know where Alec is." She said, cornering him. She hoped he'd co-operate and this wasn't a double cross. She liked Bullet.

Bullet, who wasn't much older than Dean really, nodded. "I've been doing what I am able for him." He said as he led the way. "They have him in Psy Ops." He said. "Sensory Dep. He isn't going to be much help getting him out, though. I think he's… fading." Was the only way the young X6 had to explain it.

Max's lips thinned to a line. This would be....his fourth trip to Psy Ops. He'd been there for two months. There might not be an Alec left. "Has he broken yet?" She asked quietly.

"Doesn't matter." Dean said. "We'll get him out and then we'll fix him, but we need to get him out first."

"I don't know… I don't think so. He was still fighting, or he wouldn't be in the dep tank." Bullet said. "Most of us just … accepted that it was time to come home, but not Alec." He said as he led the way. "We play the game, do the job and we don't lose anything, really. But he has been fighting the whole time. Has a few of the scientists scared of him, I heard he almost killed one of them."

"That sounds like Alec." Max said with a relieved chuckle. "Okay, so you might not want to be front and center if you're playing the game. Just play look out for us, distract a couple of people, that sort of thing." The last time she tried to bring down Manticore, Manticore had turned its weapons on the transgenics before they even got out of the barracks. Now was not the time, she just wanted to get Alec out.

Bullet nodded. "Will do." He said. "Give me 2 minutes to get them out of the way, then go in. Be fast. They don't distract for long without filing a report about it." He then turned away and started toward Psy-Ops.

"Dean, stay here." Max said,

"Not a chance." Dean said firmly, shoulders squared.

"We have to be fast. Like transgenic fast." Max said.

"You won't use a gun. I will." Dean said, showing the gun under his jacket. "Don't worry, elephant tranqs. Amazing what's on the black market. Let's go, two minutes are up."

It was like dealing with Alec. Always had to be right. Hopefully, for just a few more minutes, Alec would be pliable and not as argumentative as Dean. Oh yeah, it was easy to see their similarities now. She looked for the distraction, and moved quickly to the dep tank, knocking out a guard on the way and throwing open the door. "Alec!" She whispered. "Alec, come on, we gotta go. Now."

Alec stirred in the heavily salted water of the dep tank, and looked at Max, green eyes almost completely vacant. There was no reaction at all, until he caught sight of Dean. Then a mix of horror and sorrow crossed his features.

He pulled himself out of the tank, grabbing hold of Dean's arm and pulling the teenager behind him, in a protective maneuver. He didn't speak, didn't seem to acknowledge anything other than the need to get out and to keep the boy safe.

"Dude!" Dean said. "I can't rescue you if you're pulling me behind you." He said as he pulled out clothes from his small pack. Alec's clothes that Dean had brought with him. "Come on, get dressed, so we can bust out of here. I bet the food sucks, and I'm getting hungry."

Alec looked at the clothing in confusion for a moment before taking them in his hands. He dressed, numbly, eyes still distant, as though in shock or heavily drugged. He looked at Max, then started toward the door, once more grabbing Dean's arm and pulling him after him.

"Alec." Max said, moving in front of Alec. He was on autopilot. But on the other hand, maybe it was good she'd brought Dean (or Dean had forced his way onto her mission) because his presence was the only thing that woke him up even the slightest bit. "Follow me." She said, looking for the timing of everything.

Alec looked at her for a moment, as though waiting for everything to filter through and nodded. He would follow. He had to get Dean out of Manticore. Nothing else filtered through, nothing else mattered but that. There were no other thoughts but that.

"I'll take up the rear." Dean said. "Now that he's clothed and all." He said dryly. He was the one with a gun after all. Made perfect sense to him. Even if that wasn't the intention of the two transgenics in front of him.

Alec looked at Dean then back to Max, but waited for her to follow. He would hear the trouble before the boy did, he would know. He knew the sounds of this place, even if he didn't know that he did. Footsteps… footsteps he dreaded, breathing patterns, little sounds that heralded hours of pain to come. Things you didn't notice, except after hours of dead silence, when you were strapped to a table awaiting the pain, you listened, and you could hear every little thing more clearly.

Max started to move cautiously forward. Alec wasn't home. Dean was young, inexperienced, and even worse in this case, human. They got out of the area easily enough, but Max stopped at the edge of a courtyard, sheltered by an over hang. "Great." She said, seeing the gathering transgenics. "Drill." Couldn't exactly march across it.

Alec stared at the ground for a moment, and then motioned for her to follow. He knew another way, one that would take them away from the formation, which was where nearly all the transgenics would be. The others were easy to avoid, if you weren't in chains.

Max looked at Alec. Was he finally snapping out of it? That would be a good thing, especially now. She motioned for Dean to follow, not like he had a choice. Alec still had a loose hold on his arm. And went down through the tunnels and fire exits.

"Which way?" Max said, scanning the perimeter. "Oh great." She said in dismay. "The creepy kids."

"Creepy kids?" Dean asked.

"X7s. Too much bat in their cocktail."

It was then that the X7 made its presence known, stepping out of the shadows and staring at the three of them, relaying its threat of halt or else with eyes and gun alone. But Alec wasn't interested in anymore threats, and blurred his way to the X7 knocking the gun from its hands and grabbing its head, twisting to the left until there was a sickening snap. He dropped the boy and turned back to Max and Dean, his brain returning to the initial problem of getting Dean over the fence. After this, there was wooded terrain to make their way through until they came to another fence, but they could do it. They had to do  
it. He had to make sure Dean did not fall into Manticore hands.

"Wow." Dean said, watching the kid fall. Not really a kid, right? Well, then that made Joshua not really a guy. This was confusing. But hey, the gun wasn't pointed toward him anymore. So he took a deep breath and followed them to the fence, scaling it quickly and landing on the other side.

Alec leapt over the fence, landing on the other side and looked around. Once more he grabbed for Dean's arm and started following a path through the woods, walking quickly, eyes scanning everything, still silent, his eyes still dazed.

"This is so not feeling like a rescue." Dean said as he was half dragged.

"Shh." Max said. "Let's just get out of here. We can figure him out once we're back in Seattle."

Alec frowned, changing direction, hearing something in the distance, the alarms had gone off, his absence had been discovered. There was a moment of panic across his features which was beaten down in an instant to a bland affect.

Max and Dean dutifully followed, each silent in their own thoughts. Both worried for Alec. It bugged both of them that Alec hadn't said a single word, as if he forgot to talk. The only one he had acknowledged at all was Dean, and that was only to drag him out of where they were.

His eyes were so blank, they scared Max. Even in Ben's most insane state, his eyes weren't blank. Alec's eyes had never been blank before, it was disconcerting. It was scary.

Dean just kept watching Alec, his eyes as much on the older man as they were on the surrounding landscape. He was here, but he wasn't. Like a cipher. Dean nearly wanted to throw salt on the guy and see if he would stop to count the grains, but he didn't. Maybe once they were in the getaway car.

Alec's training was hardwired in. He could be half dead and barely conscious and he could still run a mission. It was what he was made for. Infiltration, extraction, assassination. Even in his current state he managed to lead then through the woods, dragging them into hiding, as Lydecker's men searched for them.

He would change direction, leave false markers, with all the efficiency and emotion of a machine. It was two hours later before they arrived at the final fence. He stopped then and looked at Max and Dean.

"Alec!" Max said. Alec had stopped. He had set a relentless pace that left Dean out of breath, and now he stopped. "Come on." She said. They'd made it past the final fence. But they still had a couple more miles of walking to do.

Dean looked at Alec. And even if he had to look up, felt like he was looking at his brother. There were very little similarities in their features besides the obvious. Both Alec and Sam had two eyes, two ears, one nose, and one mouth. That was really about it. Except for the absolute lost look in Alec's eyes, the man had no idea what to do now.

So Dean slipped his hand into Alec's. "Come on." He said. "We go this way." He said gently.

Alec let Dean lead him on through the woods, following Max. His mission was completed. Dean was out of Manticore. He would be safe now. It was okay to let go. It was okay to slide back into the safety of the darkness, and the quiet. The place where the pain stopped and the voices went away.

They made it to the pick up point, where Original Cindy was waiting in a dark van.

"Your boy all right?" She asked as Dean ushered Alec into the van.

"No." Max said, getting into the front seat. "I really don't think he is." She said as she watched Dean put on Alec's seat belt. She wasn't sure which part bothered her the most. That Alec really wasn't there, or that Dean seemed used to this role.

Alec leaned against the wall of the van, and closed his eyes. He found the rumbling of the van comforting, losing himself in the steady constant noise.

Cindy looked the man over. There was evidence of physical abuse present, his clothes hung loosely on him. "We'll get him put back together, don't you worry about that." She said, although she wasn't at all sure that was possible. Alec looked broken. She had never seen him this still, or this quiet. She shook her head and faced forward and pulled out onto the road. It was a long drive back to Seattle.

"They put him through Psy Ops." Max said, shaking her head. "And who knows what else. It's the military, a really fucked up version of it. Corporal punishment is still the go to discipline. We found him in a sensory deprivation tank."

"He'll be fine." Dean said, firmly. "He will be. Just wait."

"What's Psy-Ops?" OC asked. It didn't sound good. Neither did sensory deprivation in the case of someone like Alec, a man who had a lot of demons in his own head to begin with. She glanced in the rear view mirror at the man then back at the road.

"It's a division of Manticore. Made up of psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychics." Max said, her throat tightening at the thought. "It's where they try to break you inside your head. Makes it easier to brainwash you. They keep you awake, there's interrogations, pain, food as reward for getting the answers right." She shuddered. "It's his fourth trip there."

She looked in the rear view mirror once more. Looked like Max's boy didn't get too many answers right. "It's no wonder he is so quiet." She said. "He's just in shock. You'll see. He'll come around, won't he, Dean? Alec may be a pain in the ass most of the time, but he's strong. He ain't gonna lay down and die for nobody."

"Hell no." Dean said with an encouraging grin. "Like I said, he'll be fine. Just wait. We'll take him to Joshua's. He likes to watch the big guy paint, and I spliced in cable."

The drive to Seattle was long. And Alec was still silent. Max watched Dean lead Alec into Joshua's house as she called Logan. "Hey, we got him. We're at Joshua's now."

"How is he?" Logan asked. "Do you need anything?" He wanted to ask if she was sure she could trust him after so long at Manticore, but he didn't. She had been there longer, and had been herself after all. He could tell by the sound of her voice he wasn't doing well.

"He's...." Max said and took a breath. "They didn't just want him indoctrinated back into the fold," like they had with her, "they tortured him. I'm gonna stick around here, make sure everything's okay." An X5 with his training...if he decided to flip out, well, that would be bad.

Logan figured if Alec freaked out that Max and Joshua could handle it. "Do you need any medical supplies? Should I come pick up the kids?" He didn't think it would be a good idea for them to be there if Alec did have a PTSD episode.

"You can try." Max said, but she was fairly certain they wouldn't go. "We're pretty well stocked for medical supplies, we over stocked for Dean, lots of stuff unused." She wasn't sure it was a good idea for Sam and Dean to be there either.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. We can tell them you need to be alone with Alec or something. They seem to like that idea." He said, rolling his eyes. "How are you holding up?" He said as he went to get his coat and keys.

"I'm...." Max said. "He's just so still. He hasn't said a word or made a sound. At all. That's not Alec. I mean, it is him, but his behavior is so out of whack right now. I'm fine. It was fairly easy in and out. You'll probably be hearing from Lydecker soon."

"And I'll tell him what he can do with himself." Logan said, making his way down to his car. The elevator always seemed to take forever when he was in a hurry. "Alec's been through a lot… do you think he is going to pull through this?"

"He's a stubborn guy." Max said. "It just might take a while." A long while. Like maybe years. She was still waiting for Alec to blink. "I'm going to go check to see how things are situated. I'll see you when you get here." She said and hung up, headed into the house, where Dean already had Alec in the room he shared with Sam.

Dean sat Alec on the bed and started tending to injuries with a practiced hand. This was minor. Not like he'd been clawed by a werewolf or anything.

Alec watched as Dean worked, not showing any outward signs of pain involving his injuries. The worst of his injuries were where the straps had held him down. Wrists, ankles, the strap across his torso..the one holding his head. Alec had fought hard, so very hard. But there was only so long anyone could fight and hope.

Sam sat on his own bed, legs folded up in front of him. He had watched Dean do this for their father lots of times, and knew to wait until he was done before starting to ask too many questions. It would usually just irritated their father and Dean would say he was fine anyway. But Alec wasn't fine.

"It's okay now." Dean said to Alec. "We got you out of there. Actually, Sam, it wasn't much of a rescue." He said with a chuckle. "All we did was get him out of where they were holding him. Then he totally stole my glory and took over."

Sam smiled a little, faintly. "Then he is still in there. He was protecting you." He said. He knew how it worked. He was Dean's little brother after all, and what Dean had told Berrisford was true. Alec was like their older brother, and Sam figured that included the over protective nature. "And it looks to me like he still needs rescuing."

"Yeah he does." Dean said as he started to gently, with a feather light touch, put the balms on the raw skin left by restraints. "But he's in the right place. Because we totally rock. We'll get him up and about in no time. Guaranteed." He said, hoping he sounded a lot more confident than he felt.

"I know we will." Sam said. "He has family now. He has to pull through." He had infinite faith in his brother. Dean had never let him down and he knew he wouldn't let Alec down either. "He just needs to rest and realize that he's safe."

"Exactly." Dean said as he turned on the radio. He figured Alec could use some noise. He didn't turn it up loud, but it filled the background. He finished tending to Alec's injuries and leaned back. "Well, that's done."

Logan arrived, bringing pizza and a six pack of beer, which Cindy took charge of right away.

"Your girl is in the kitchen pretending she isn't having a melt down."Cindy told him. "She is taking this pretty hard."

"Thanks." He said and went to find Max. "Hey." He said softly. He knew she wasn't alright. He had known that over the telephone.

"Hey." Max said, cleaning. It was one thing she could do at least. "Oh, pizza. Good. Pizza's good. We'll see if Alec will even notice it's here."

"It's okay if he doesn't." Logan said. "It's okay if he takes time to heal." Logan said, because he figured that was going to be the case anyway. That they would probably have the equivalent of an autistic child on their hands. A super human autistic child which could be seriously problematic, and not just emotionally, for those involved.

"He'll be fine." Max said, taking the pizza and grabbing some plates. "He just need to readjust is all. The guy went through a lot, I don't expect him to be okay tonight." Hoped like hell, but didn't expect it.

"I still think I should take the kids to my place for a couple of days." He said. "Just in case. Something like that… I wouldn't be surprised if he has some PTSD issues. Things he wouldn't want them to see." He wanted to hold her, comfort her, but he couldn't. He knew it was unreasonable to blame Alec for that. But he did anyway.

"I don't think they're going to go for that." Max said. "They've been shuffled around a lot lately. And they were just as worried about Alec as we were. If not more, since they were insisting something was wrong way before we thought of it."

"I know." He said. "Just trying to think of what is best for them. They don't seem to think about that much themselves. Go figure. Kids, right?" He said, feeling the awkwardness between them. Alec. Always Alec… or Zack… even the kids who weren't even transgenics, because they had been at Manticore. He had been telling himself it was the virus that was between them but he suspected it was more than that. Much more.

"I thought kids were supposed to be selfish and all that." Max pointed out with a grin. But she glanced upstairs. No noise. Not good. She wanted to hear Alec laugh again.

"Why don't you take some pizza upstairs?" He said, knowing she wanted to check on Alec. "I'll make sure everyone down here gets some." She was the one that looked lost to him at the moment. As though some key part of her world had shifted on its axis.

"Besides, Dean hasn't eaten since we left Seattle this morning. I've never known him to go this long without food. Maybe everything's quiet because he's eaten Alec." She said with a quick smile as she grabbed half the pizza and headed upstairs. "Brought food." She said, coming through the door.

"Oh cool, pizza." Sam said. It was a treat these days to have pizza rather than the norm. "Dean has Alec all cleaned up. He'll be fine now. Dean used to take care of Dad when he got hurt, Dad never went to the hospital unless it was really bad, cause he had Dean there to take care of him."

"Maybe we should send you to med school." Max said with a grin as she passed out the pizza.

"Yeah, right." Dean said. "That long in a classroom, for that many years? Think I'll pass." He said as he grabbed a piece and put it in Alec's hands. "Never had to do this with my dad though. Eat or I'll make you."

Alec stared at it for a moment. Shifting it in his hands before sighing and lifting it to his mouth. He ate. It was slow and seemingly without much pleasure, but he ate.

"What are his favorites? Other than girls, of course." Sam asked. "Maybe that would help."

Max grinned. And Dean grinned. Alec sighed. That was a purposeful noise. As opposed to the silence that had emanated from him since they sprung him from Manticore.

"Pizza. Wings. Burgers." Dean said. He'd had more 'guy time' with Alec after all. "Maybe he forgot what real food tastes like. It was a military facility. Remember when Dad had us eating MREs and sea rations?"

"Those were nasty." Sam said.

Joshua appeared at the doorway. "Alec not used to eating." He said in a sad tone. "Hunger makes you weak, makes you anxious. Used to punish."

Dean was horrified at that, but Max nodded. She understood that. "I know." She said. "But he needs to eat." In her head, they broke him out of Manticore and everything went back to normal. She should have known better. She sat next to Alec and put a light hand on his arm. "It's okay. You can't believe me right now, I know, but you're safe. As safe as you can be outside anyway. And it's okay to eat."

Alec looked at Max, acknowledging that she was touching him, and then returned to slowly eating the pizza, eyes down cast. Everything was raw and overwhelming. Touch, sound, lack of sound, the smell of food and the rumbling in his stomach he had learned to ignore.

Max moved Dean to the other bed, afraid they were overwhelming Alec already. She needed him out of his shell, not further in it. So she kept in sight of Alec and started a board game with the boys. The money was faded, and she was sure they were missing pieces, but they played it anyway, keeping half an eye on Alec.

Alec finished his piece of pizza and leaned over on the bed, resting his head on the pillow. His knees drew upward as he lay watching them play. He just watched. Listening, slowly letting himself unclench. Joshua watched Alec, eventually leaving the room, and going back to the living room with Logan and Cindy.

"How's he doing?" Cindy asked Joshua when he came back down stairs. Half finished pizza on her plate, and a mostly finished beer, she was just glad the hardest part (getting out of Manticore) was done.

"Alec is the same." Joshua said. "Hiding. Not ready to come out yet." He said as he went to put away his painting supplies.

"I hope it's that simple." Logan said. He really did. But he had his doubts. One thing he didn't doubt was that Max would be there every free moment trying to coax the man out of his shell. He just hoped that Alec came around before Lydecker figured out where to find him again.

"Poor Alec." Cindy said. Not that she ever thought she'd say those words. She didn't hate Alec, but in her view, usually he was just another man causing trouble for the fairer sex intentionally. All his trouble, he asked for it. Except for this time. No one could ask for this, and no one deserved it. "I'm sure he'll come around. It'll just take a while. I hope they're all patient though."

"Seems so… not so patient inside though. " Joshua said.

Logan nodded. "I understand the feeling. Look, I'm just in the way around here right now, so…I'm gonna go home. I was going to take the boys over to my place for a couple days, but I don't think they are going to be willing to go, so I don't know that I am gonna try tonight. Maybe tomorrow."

"Things'll settle down." Cindy said, leaning back in her chair with her beer. "It's day one. He just got back. Apparently he was in Psy Ops, and that's bad."

"That's what I've heard." Logan said.

"Even Max not know. Max never there. Psy ops is… where they take away hope, they take away self."

"Well, let's hope a little magic happens upstairs then." Original Cindy said. "Cause ain't no one gonna take it well if Alec doesn't come back from this. Especially Normal. We got him convinced some grandmother of Alec's died in Boston and he had to go take care of business."

Logan laughed a little. "Yeah, Normal sounds like a real… gullible guy." He said. "Well, I will come by tomorrow and bring more supplies." He figured they would need things. It was a good excuse anyway. "We'll see how the boys feel about a little distraction then." It was going to be very intense around the house. "See you then." He told them. "Tell Max… goodnight." He turned to go.

Cindy waited until she heard Logan's car pull out. "I don't think Logan's taking Alec being back all that well." She said. She liked Joshua, he had a keen insight into people.

Joshua took a seat, book in hand. "Alec not problem. Max has feelings for Alec. That problem. Logan still loves Max, but Max confused and Logan knows. He smart, he sees. Max not see. Alec not see. But Logan sees. "

"Well this sounds like it's about to get messy." Cindy said, grabbing another beer. "Not that any of it matters if Alec doesn't crawl out of his head soon."

"Alec just need time. Strong." He said as he picked up his book. "Max… different story." He knew that Max felt guilty somehow, as though she could have prevented it from happening. Which was not the case.

"Doggy dog, Max is one of the strongest people I know." Cindy countered. "There's not much she can make it through."

"Max can't watch Alec not make it." Joshua said. "But Alec will make it. Just needs to rest." He said, opening his book.

Logan's mood didn't improve when he got home. He was relieved that Alec was out of Manticore hands. He truly was, but he felt as though his own world was crumbling apart. He poured himself a glass of wine and sat down at his desk, intending to lose himself in his work.  
The phone rang and Lydecker started with preamble or pleasantries. "Bad move, Mr. Cale." He said. "You could have gotten Max immunity and amnesty. But now you've brought Manticore down on your head."

"Do I need to arrange for another announcement, Colonel Lydecker?" He asked. "I could arrange for your new base to be exposed, just like the last one. All it takes is one call to my contacts and it's out over the airwaves. Neither of us really wants that. So why don't we call this a draw?" Logan said, firmly.

"For someone who wants a draw, you're sure in a sour mood." Lydecker said. "I thought you'd be celebrating. Of course, you don't know who you freed. Any number of things could have been programmed into him while he was with us. Or he could just see you as a rival. I'm not telling you anything you haven't already thought, but don't discount it. It's not a draw, I still have the upper hand. How do you know we can't track him?"

"I don't, but if I hear word one of you going near him, or Max, or the boys and I will blow your operation sky high. Maybe I could place a call to Ames White and see what he does with the information. You can't afford to fight a war with us right now, Lydecker. You have enemies and your projects have been exposed. You don't have the upper hand at all. If you don't want to call it a draw, then consider it a cold war. "

"Now there's a bald faced bluff. You wouldn't call White because of the off chance he'd go through our files and find Max. And he really wants her. The boys too. Have you figured out my research yet or do I need to draw you a picture?"

"Draw me a picture." Logan said. "I've been too busy trying to locate your whipping boy. You know… the guy that was so traumatized that he's virtually catatonic because you love your so called children so much. So yeah, draw me a picture, and spare me the sarcasm."

"It's a breeding cult." Lydecker said. "Millennia old. Started in ancient times to breed certain traits. Mating is arranged, and children are produced, then they under go some sort of test, makes Spartans look like special ed gym class. All with an end game in mind. There the mythology gets a little twisted, and a lot of it I couldn't translate. Sandeman is descended from them. Finally he decided they were nuts and decided to go the science root. There's a reason he chose those boys as the building blocks of Manticore."

"Their parents were or are part of the breeding cult." Logan said, shaking his head. "As is Ames White and his crew. That makes things make more sense. Some of it anyway. Of course you want them back, because you need their DNA to start over."

"It would be helpful, but not the only reason. I'm done drawing pictures. If you don't want to get caught up in this, then you need to keep your head down and back off." Lydecker said. "This whole situation is about to go nuclear."

"Leave them alone. I'm already involved in this. I don't want trouble but we're not the only ones vulnerable and you know it. It's not impossible that we could work together, but you cannot enslave and brutalize these people. They don't want to go back and they aren't going back."

"The world isn't ready to understand transgenics." Lydecker said. "They're safer with me than in your world. Have you ever seen the Special Forces in Manticore? Specially designed for desert, or water, or ice. Imagine how they look. They don't look like Max."

"No… the world isn't ready for them, but you people didn't think of that before you created them. They are people Lydecker. Different, dangerous, yes, but they are people. Not weapons. What they are is Manticore's doing. If they want to go back to you, they will. And that's their business but those that don't want to be tortured and starved, used as killing machines… then they don't have to be."

"People." Lydecker laughed. "Really? You are such an idealist. I get the biggest kick talking to you. Their DNA isn't purely human. And the human genes have been tweaked themselves. The X5, 6 and most of the 8 series were made, designed to look human. So they could pass through enemy lines as infantry. Do espionage, assassination. That does not make them human. It's all going to come out into the open, and when it does, Manticore won't be the one hunting them. It'll be your neighbors. The guy who sells you your orange juice. It'll make Manticore look like a picnic. You want that for them? For Max?"

"You forget, I've seen what you did to Alec, to Zack. You expect me to believe Manticore is a better place for them? You really are nuts." Logan said. "There is no ideal choice, but the choice is theirs to make. Not yours. It doesn't matter what their DNA is, they are sentient beings with a will of their own. Doesn't matter if they came from one of your test tubes, Lydecker. Pandora's box is open. You can't put it all back in now."

"They've also been trained since birth to fight. And your people are going to back them into a corner." Lydecker said. "And when you say what I did to Zack, you mean what Manticore did, right? Because I actually wasn't a part of Manticore then. That was Renfro, who is nicely out of the picture now. I'm not a big believer in cybernetics, too easy to fry them."

"That's just it Lydecker. You are just a part of Manticore." Logan said. "Albeit a sadistic and deranged part of it but there is. You have a boss and they have a boss and those people are going to do what they want with your so called kids, just as they have in the past. Just as they did Tinga, Zack, like you did with Alec."

"Sadistic? You think I enjoyed that? These are super soldiers. Genetically manipulated beings. What did you suggest? I take away his TV privileges until he decided to behave himself?" Lydecker said. "You need to step back and look at the situation. That breeding cult won't let the transgenics live. And there's enough of them in power that they can make that happen. Do you remember your history? Nazi eugenics? Lynch mobs? You haven't seen anything yet."

"You didn't torture him for causing trouble, you tortured him because he didn't want to be part of your little nightmare anymore. He didn't want to kill anymore. Didn't want to betray Max and the others, maybe even the boys. Alec is a troublemaker but he isn't one to betray his friends. That's why you turned him into a zombie. I don't care if you enjoyed it or not. What ever might be on the horizon... it doesn't make it right."

"You can't protect her." Lydecker said. "Anymore than you could the last time she went after Manticore. That ended happily for everyone, didn't it? Max got a fresh heart. You got the scoop of a lifetime. I got my command back. Worked out well I think. The end of times is coming. You need to pick a side."

"End of times? What are you talking about? Apocalyptic end of times? That's crazy. And for the record I chose a side long before Max ever came into my life. I never changed side, I never will. How you view the transgenics doesn't matter to me. I view them as people. Therefore I will protect them however I can. We help each other. It has worked out very well so far. In spite of the evil created by Manticore and this breeding cult."

"You've got a front row seat. Enjoy it." Lydecker said, hanging up the phone. He shook his head. Idealists. Such a pain in the ass.

"Well this day just gets better and better." Logan said as he leaned back in his chair. He thought about calling Max and letting her know about the phone call, but tomorrow would be soon enough for that. Let them enjoy the night. They wouldn't have any way to track Alec, if they did they would have taken them by now. He wouldn't have called to plant doubt and fear. It would be counter to his intent. He finished his wine, placed a call, and arranged for surveillance on  
the latest Manticore base. He wanted to know what came and went from the base and when.

He went to bed with a heavy heart, and a full mind. This didn't make for a good night's sleep. Rather a long and lonely one.

David was eating a quiet dinner. His father wasn't much for conversation, so there wasn't much. He gave up years ago trying to start a conversation. He used to talk about school. But that quickly brought him into comparison with his brothers. He thought by the time he was a sophomore, older than Dean, that it would stop. But it didn't, so he stopped trying.

"I'm going to make another pass tonight." David said, meaning driving the Impala slowly through town. "Should I slow down enough for him to follow me?"

"Yes." John said after a moment's thought. "He is going to want to make sure it is the same car. Let him have that chance. 452 will have filled their heads with lies by this time. But I know my boy, he won't believe it. Sam will believe anything at this point. But not Dean. Dean is the one we have to work on."

"We don't know what Manticore did to him for those 27 years." Twenty seven years. That was longer than David had been alive. "What they fed him in his coma. He might never understand." John had done quite a flip flop after all. And David wasn't convinced it was a good idea to bring the boys into the fold either.

"That's why we have to handle this gently." He said. "He has to feel that he was the one that instigated contact. Has to feel that he is safe. We have to take things gently with him. But the bottom line is, they are needed. They are my sons and understanding or not, they will do as I say." John had never been one to require understanding, just obedience.

David understood the blind obedience. He had it after all. But all this time with the transgenics, making their own life, he wasn't sure his brothers would have it like they used to. "I'll make a couple of passes tonight then."

"Good. David… White brought up something that I think I need to talk to you about. He says you are jealous of your brothers. I need you to understand that there is no need for jealousy. No matter what your origins… you are as much my son as they are."

"Because White is such a respectable source." David said. "I hear you, I do. But I'm an exact genetic replica of him. And I'm still not him. It's been made clear to me that in the scheme of things it doesn't matter what I think or feel because I shouldn't exist in most eyes. I'll do what you've told me to do, I'll bring them home."

"Of course you aren't Sam. You don't have to be Sam. Yes most think you shouldn't exist and that I made a mistake in my weakness, in taking you and raising you as my own. But you are my own. You aren't one of their abominations. To me that makes all the difference. When you bring them home, we are going to be a family. They are going to need your help adjusting. I'm going to need your help. I know you won't let me down. I have faith in you, Son." David needed encouraging. He supposed that was part of his similarity to Sam, and John had learned or thought he had, from his mistakes with Samuel. Give that reassurance even if you think it's foolish that it's needed. Even if you think it's weak.

David gave John a weak smile. "Yes sir." He said. Maybe an accident could still be arranged. He could only be so lucky.

It was five AM when Alec stirred for the first time since laying down on the bed to watch the boys play games, and later sleep. He eased out of the bed, and made it to military specifications, in quite quick movements. He then stood at attention beside the bed and waited. Eyes straight forward, face impassive.

Max came in with breakfast. The boys were still asleep, but Alec was standing there by the bed. She forced a smile on her face. That position was so....Manticore. She remembered having to do that. "Hey." She said. "How'd you sleep?" Not really expecting an answer. "Brought coffee."

Alec looked confused, lost again. The routine was broken, he wasn't sure how to respond. He knew that he should know, that this was where he was supposed to be, that this was home, where he was safe. He knew that he was looking at Max. But wasn't he still at Manticore? He was sure he was still at Manticore. So many images forced into his mind, so many more that had come out to haunt him in the darkness. He wasn't sure what was real any more.

He sat down on the bed, watching Max. Waiting for the punishment to come. He had not been given leave to break attention, or to sit.

She sighed and put the tray on an end table, feeling her smile falter. She sat down next to him on the bed and looked at her hands in her lap. "I don't know what to do, Alec." She said. "You always claimed you had the answer for everything, but you're keeping them to yourself right now. And I...I don't know. I just.....I really wish you'd say something derogatory about the size of my ass or something."

He looked at her silently, still not sure, still unable to draw himself out of the safety of his own mind. His gaze turned to the  
boys, sleeping soundly, safely. But wasn't Dean at Manticore? He remembered Dean at Manticore. His eyes closed and he pressed his hands to his temples. It hurt. Trying to sort out what was real and what was hallucination hurt so badly, that he was certain the images were being seared into his brain. He couldn't hold back the gasp of pain.

"Alec?" She asked, turning toward him. "Alec, what is it?" Did she miss something? Wouldn't be the first time he had something explosive implanted in his head after all. "Alec, it's over. You're not in Manticore anymore. We're at Joshua's, Dean is safe, Sam is safe, you're safe....I don't know what else to tell you."

He heard Max's voice, mingled with Lydecker's and the Psy Ops personnel. All one hybrid choir telling him that he was safe, that he was home, that the boys would be safe … all lies. No where was safe. No one was safe. He shook his head trying to clear it, trying to make the voices go away. His breathing slowly became more steady, his hands slowly left his head and he stared at a point in the floor, tears in his eyes that never fell.

Dean woke up and rubbed his eyes. "It's okay, Alec. Max's cooking isn't THAT bad." He said as he got up and stretched, and put toast in Alec's hand.

Alec looked up slowly, his lips twitched a little, almost attempting to smile, but then it was gone. He instead turned his attention to the toast in his hand. He began to eat it, his mind suddenly lost completely with in memories.

Sam climbed out of bed and ran down the hall to get to the bathroom first. In a house with this many people and one bathroom, you had to run to make sure you had a chance to get in there at all. At least if you wanted in there on time.

Alec was watched. Carefully. Suicide normally wouldn't be an idea, but Max wasn't sure how much of Alec would come back. So someone was with him at all times. Sometimes just sitting quietly, like when Sam would read. Other times he was talked to, Dean could carry on a monologue for hours. And Max would prod. Joshua would cook and encourage Alec to eat.

Max went to work and came back quickly, if she was held up, Cindy came. She didn't see much of Logan, and most of the time ignored her cell and pager, no matter who was calling. It was frustrating. Everything was supposed to be better, and it wasn't. She wasn't sure that it wasn't worse. They all watched for those minuscule reactions. Treating it as victory when they came, and assuring themselves that it would just take more time when it didn't.

Two and a half weeks of near complete silence and stoicism from Alec and Max finally broke.

"Dammit Alec!" She snapped at him. "You need to say something! I can't take this! This is my fault and I can't take this. I wish I could, but I can't. I shouldn't have left you alone, and now it's all my fault that we're all paranoid and watching you, and God, Alec, say something! It's like you're stuck in a time loop and I got you out of Manticore, but I didn't get you out of this, and I don't know how." The tears were coursing down her face, and she didn't even notice. "You have to be in there, Alec. I know you're in there somewhere."

A single tear fell from Max's cheek to Alec's hand and he stared at it for a moment before reaching up to touch her face, eyes slowly rising to meet hers. The haze was slowly lifting from his eyes as he looked into hers.

"Max?" His voice was soft, ragged from disuse, and emotion.

She choked back a sob when his eyes met hers. They were HIS eyes. Not the blank green shells she'd been trying to get to look at....well....anything. She nodded. He could finally speak, and now she couldn't and she hugged him tightly, leaving tears on his shoulder.

Alec closed his arms slowly around her. He didn't care if this was illusion at the moment. "Hey, it's okay." He said and cleared his throat. "It's okay. I'm alright. I'm always alright." He didn't  
remember much of his ordeal. Remembered his capture, remembered that he was tortured, but he had no concept of how much time had passed, even since his rescue. It all melded together into a kaleidoscope of images and feelings that were hard to focus on. So he focused instead on the woman in his arms. "We're gonna be alright."


	6. Revelations

Ex

John Winchester was growing impatient. He knew that things had to be handled carefully, but he was impatient none the less. He had arranged for David to be shadowed one day, and was relieved to find that his youngest son (that was a paradox in and of itself) was doing as John had ordered. It should be working, except his sons hadn't been sighted in nearly three weeks now. He began to fear that 452 and 494 had arranged for them to be taken out of Seattle.

News of the new Manticore installation darkened his mood as well. This was a bigger danger than the others knew. They would be after the boys as well. Trying to stop their destiny, even as they had postponed it. John knew why Sandeman had done what he had done. He hated him for it. How different their lives would have been if they had been left alone.

"Get White on the phone. I need to know where we stand on the Manticore issue. " He told his assistant. He rode White hard. Sins of the father, he supposed. Or maybe it was just that the son of a bitch was insufferably arrogant. Whatever the reason he hated the little prick.

White was annoyed. His call to the headmaster at his son's school had been interrupted because of John Winchester. He should be discussing Ray's accomplishments, but instead he was waiting for the call to be transferred over. "No. No. Yes. No." Ames said when he heard John Winchester's voice. "No, we are not interfering with Manticore at this time. No, federal funding has not been cut off. Yes, Manticore is experiencing internal problems. No, it has nothing to do with your sons. Next?"

"It will have something to do with my sons, and you know it as well as I." He told him. "In the mean time, I want you to give 452 and 494 something to do. Distract them. Make them less vigilant. Make them dead for all I care. If you can't manage it, send me their files and I will." He said. "Changing your name doesn't change who you are, Ames. Breeding runs true. Your arrogance won't carry you through another failure. Am I understood?"

"Completely. Amusing coming from the man who fell off the path himself. Tell me, Winchester. If your sons hadn't been taken, would you ever have found it again?" Ames asked as he signaled for one of his agents to come over, passing him a note to arrange a transgenic attack. That should bring at least one of them out.

"We'll never know." John said, honestly. He doubted it. He had come back to the cult for help finding his boys, looking for aid in going after Sandeman, but it had turned out differently. "I've proven my loyalty, Ames. I suppose it's not your loyalty that is truly in question. It's your competence. Insanity runs in your line. I'm amazed they continued it, to be honest. "

"That's enough, Winchester." Ames snarled. "I'll drag one of them out. Though if you think either one will give up your boys....tell you what, I'm having the files sent over now. Take a good look at 494. I mean it, a real good look."

"I don't expect them to give up the boys. " John said with a chuckle. "I expect them to give Dean enough time alone to get bored. Word to the wise, never let an intelligent, hyperactive teenager get bored. Interesting things happen. But please, send over the files. I would like to see the transgenics that you can't capture or kill."

"Will do." Ames said. "In fact, I'll deliver them personally." He wanted to see the look on Winchester's face. The horror and disgust. He was over there within twenty minutes and was being shown into the study. He threw 494's file, complete with picture, onto Winchester's desk. And waited.

John frowned, setting aside the picture, knowing what Ames wanted. He wanted to see John react. John Winchester didn't react for anyone on cue. Not since his wife had died. He had kept a mask firmly in place ever since that night 37 hears ago. His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowed slightly. His stomach rolled at the thought of his son used for that animal's experiments. He knew it was Dean's face, or what Dean's face would be in a few years. The features were there for those that wanted to see it, or knew what they were seeing.

"You've known about this for some time. How many others are there made from this template?" He said, quietly. A tone that said he was calm and collected and perfectly reasonable. Unless you knew him. Unless you had seen John Winchester in the trenches, be they in Vietnam, fighting demons, or black ops CIA operations. This tone meant someone or something was about to die.

"Manticore made twins of most." Ames said. "The twin, 493, is dead. Apprehended after some exceptionally brutal murders. Gosh, I hope it wasn't anything in the human genes that made it snap."

"Who knows? Hard to say what was in the other donor." John said. "After all they take a human egg to implant. And the filth they pollute it with, I'm amazed they aren't all having psychotic breaks." He looked Ames in the eyes then, his own cold and hard. A warning. Battle lines had been drawn. They both knew it. Now it was time to back off before it was too late.

Ames' expression brightened. "Brilliant." He said. Ben's murders were well known. And as far as authorities were concerned, he had never been caught. What was way to whip up some hysteria. Center it on one of the two troublemakers (if only because he looked exactly like the murderer), and the other would follow. "I'll be around." He said, his mood much improved as he moved to leave.

John rolled his eyes , and returned to his paper work.

Alec walked into Jam Pony and smiled brightly at those that worked there. He was still a little shaky, not that he would tell anyone that. Not even Max. He was tired of being babied. It was almost another form of captivity. He just wanted things to get back to normal… or as normal as it had ever been.

"Good, you're back." Normal said in a heavily relieved tone. "Can't get these delinquents to work, not without a strong leader presence like yourself!" He said as he handed Alec a present. "Welcome back, now bip!"

He looked at the address on the package and grinned at Normal. "I'm on it." He said. "It's good to be back." He slipped it into his bag and started to leave, waving at Max and Cindy.

"Hear that?" Normal said. "Good to be back. You should all have such attitudes."

Max rolled her eyes. "He's pushing himself."

"He's a man. That's what they do, boo." Original Cindy said as Max went up and grabbed a package in the same sector.

"Wait up." She said to Alec. "Well, you've made Normal's day." She said with a grin.

He smiled back at her "yeah, mine too, I was starting to go stir crazy and I think it will be months before I smell anything but turpentine." He laughed and it even reached his eyes. "I think the boys are going stir crazy as well."

"They probably are." Max admitted. "But there's not much we can do about it, really. I mean, their father is a total whack job, And he wants his sons back. Which isn't going to happen."

"You haven't told the boys that have you. They still think you and Logan are looking for him." That would not go over well at all. Even Alec could see that.

"I don't know how." Max said. "Hey guys, found your dad. But he's nuts. And part of some weird breeding cult. So please don't go there." She rolled her eyes. "That wouldn't go well at all. Besides, I'm getting good at this whole alienating kids from their dads. Might have a hit on where Ames stashed Ray, and I can bet it's not a good place."

"Gotta find proof. Dean is convinced that superman is a pale knock off of his old man. Without proof, you aren't going to get anywhere."

"Yeah, and if I tell him before I have proof, you know he'll want to see him. You heard how they were raised. All he has to do is give the order to go with him and they'll probably listen." Max said.

"Be careful. If it's as bad a place as you think, it's gonna be lousy with those… what ever they are … in his cult. " Alec said. "Even Lydecker thinks they are the bad guys."

"But hey, flip side? I might get the proof I need for Dean and Sam, right?" She said with a grin. "It'll be all right. It's nothing."

"Famous last words." He said. "So you coming over to Joshua's for dinner tonight, or is this the night you head out to this place they are keeping White?" He wasn't afraid of Max fooling around. He was the interloper and felt bad about that. He didn't want to hurt Logan but he didn't want to be the one to lose her either. Not that he had her. Complicated was an understatement. He was however worried about her safety.

"We're headed out tonight." Max said, hint of apology in her voice. "But I picked up more M&Ms for Dean." She said, transferring them from her bag to his. "And I'm serious, no TV for those kids. Dean is paraphrasing and quoting all sorts of things."

"I don't think keeping him away from the TV is going to help with that." Alec said. "Besides, what's wrong with that? They are as stuck as Joshua is right now. Take away the TV and all three of them will turn on us and I don't think we'd survive it." Joshua because of the chaos two bored Winchesters would create in his home.

Max laughed. "You've got a point. Fine, they can watch TV." Then she laughed harder. "Oh my god. I'm six years older than Dean, or twenty one years younger, whichever way you look at it, and I sound like his freaking mom!"

"Yeah, let's not get into my connections to Dean." Alec said. "Then he will start sounding like he's my freaking mom." He teased. "He already does that with Sam."

"Strange world we live in." She said as they dropped off their packages. "That we end up babysitting a kid who contributed to your genes. Mind warping."

"Yeah it is. But then again, we are genetically engineered soldiers living in a world were breeding cults have created super strong humans sacrificing key components of their personality along the way." Alec said with a smile. It was mostly a real smile that mostly made it back to his eyes.

Max had been right. Alec was pushing himself. But he couldn't sit at home and stare at the walls anymore. It was too much like the tank, too much time with his own thoughts and his hands would begin to shake. He wasn't back there anymore and he knew it. But he had brought a piece of it out with him.

"I can't imagine either of those boys in that cult." Max said. They were too...lively. "You know, I was in Psy Ops, under Renfro." She blinked. "That just came out, I never meant to bring it up, forget it."

"I didn't know." Alec said. "It's okay to bring it up. Not like it isn't in my head still." He took a deep breath. "It was when they were trying to get you to spill the beans on Logan, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. And the location of other transgenics." Max said with a shrug. "But hey, we both made it out, so that's a good thing. Like we deserve a parade type of good thing."

"Yeah." He said. "I think we do. It's not over though, Max… he isn't going to give up. He has this idea that he is protecting us. I could use a little less protection of that sort."

"I did this, Alec. I brought down that installation and I made sure Manticore was outed publicly." Max said. "I made sure everyone got out and I let them scatter to the winds. Lydecker is psychotic, we know that. You're right, it's not over. I wish I could just squeeze my eyes really tight and it would be, though."

"Be nice but it doesn't work that way. They haven't all scattered. A lot of us are out at Terminal City." He said. "Not like things out there affect us." He said with a shrug. "But there are a lot that are wandering the streets. We just have to find them before Lydecker or White. "

"I know." Max said. "Joshua's been talking about moving there." It was mainly were the transhumans went. The ones who couldn't pass, like Max and Alec could. And they tended to be territorial and not very welcoming to the ones that could pass.

"I don't think he would be happy there… or if he will change. But it's a place to start thinking about if things get ugly." Things hadn't gotten ugly yet but they could very easily. So far, transgenics were still tabloid news. If it ever became real to people, completely real, they would be hunted at every corner. Lydecker was right about that.

"We'd have to see if Sam and Dean could handle it there." She said. She doubted they could. But she couldn't leave them flapping in the breeze no matter how bad it got for her. Because guaranteed it would be worse for them.

Alec shrugged. "Stock up on iodine tablets and they should be fine. Who knows how their DNA functions, though. White is supposedly human and look what he can survive, the boys are likely the same."

"That's where the comparisons of the boys and White stop." Max said with a grimace. "Because I really really hate White. You're going to keep them out of trouble, right? While I'm tracking this thing down?"

"They think they are keeping me out of trouble but yeah, I will be over at Joshua's after I get off work today. Don't worry." He said with a faint laugh. "Anyone ever tell you, you worry too much?"

"Yeah, you." Max said with a laugh. "At least once a week. And how about you all keep each other out of trouble. Then I won't worry so much. Maybe." Or she'd worry more!

Alec smiled. "I'll believe that when I see it." He said. "So back for more packages or off for lunch?" He asked, looking at his watch.

Max grinned. "I'm hanging out with Normal's golden boy." She said. "Total amnesty from slacking. Let's grab lunch."

Alec picked the restaurant. His favorite burger place. Where he was sure the meat was at least part beef, and they didn't skimp on the French fries. He didn't ask about the rest. The texture and flavor were right, that was good enough for him.

"You are so lucky you're genetically engineered." Max said as their food came. "This would be instant cardiac arrest I think to anyone else."

"Savor it, Max. You have the metabolism for it. Just think of all the ordinaries out there that would kill to be able to eat like this and still keep your figure." He said as he arranged the burger in his hands preparing to take a bite of the juicy piled high sandwich. "Besides, this is decadence on a bun. The culinary meaning of life, served with a side of fries."

"Obviously Manticore had the wrong idea. Instead of making soldiers, they should have revitalized the diet industry." She said with a grin. "If they only knew that the secret to fitness and slimness was bottled in a test tube mixed with a little bit of cat, some shark...you know how those animal rights activists are."

"They would be millionaires." Alec said as he dove into his burger. His appetite had come back full force, and for that he was grateful. Food was one of those not so guilty pleasures in life. Something he didn't have to feel guilty about or wonder where it was leading him. "And we would be models."

"Oh yeah, sign me up for the bikini brigade." She said with a laugh. Though there was something to be said about genes, as she dug into her own burger. She and Alec, like all the X5s, were in perfect, peak physical condition. With very little work, actually.

"I didn't think it took back up to go to a funeral either, but it did. Just be careful. I'll see you tomorrow sometime and you can tell me all about how boring and lame it was."

"And I fully expect it to be lame and boring. Food will probably suck too." She said with a laugh. "Think this place delivers? That would be awesome."

"Not all the way out there." He said with a laugh, "But they do in town for a price. More to leave sector, but it can be done… of course it's cold by the time it gets to you."

"Damn." Max said. "Only so much pasta and french food I can take." She said.

"You could always introduce him to real food." Alec suggested. He figured that would go over well. He had seen Logan's face at mac and cheese and hot dogs. He had been a gentleman and made Joshua feel good, even Alec had seen that in his messed up state during that dinner. But still, the idea of Logan downing burgers and fries with Max was pretty funny.

"I've tried." She said. "But everyone has different tastes. I brought home a chicken once, and because it was alive when I brought it through the door, OC refused to eat it after it was dead."

I brought it through the  
door, OC refused to eat it after it was dead."

"She does realize that all this meat we eat was alive at one point, right?" He asked, trying not to laugh. "It's funny how fragile they are really. I don't mean physically… I mean the things they can accept or not accept. I'm amazed at how well we merged into their society." Some couldn't, and it was those that he worried about.

"Have we?" She asked as she contemplated her fries. "I mean, really. Have we? Are we really merging, or just faking it to stay under the radar?"

"I think some of us have better than others. I mean… other than the super human stuff, Is there anything you do that no one else does on a regular basis. Cindy and Logan are up there in the do gooder save the underdog list, so it's not like even that is singularly us. The only thing I think we do differently is hide… and I guess we aren't even alone in that really, or Logan wouldn't have had a job when you found him."

"You've got a point." Max said. "All right, we're totally adjusted. I mean, if the Winchesters can adjust, we can totally adjust."

As soon as Max got off work, she headed to Logan's and hopped in the car. They drove to a picturesque little town and found the hotel. Max wasn't surprised that they didn't find a body, but they found a whole lot else. A reel of film. Showing Ray at some sort of school.

That's not else Max found. Psychic kids, snakes, weird ass rituals, a bald headed freak....she'd have to remember to tell Alec how she outsmarted the psychic psycho kid. He'd get a kick out of that.

"Come on in." Max said to Logan when he pulled up to Joshua's. "Really, it's okay."

Logan nodded. "okay" he said. He felt very much the outsider in that house. He liked Joshua and cared for the boys, but he wasn't part of their circle. He was Max's friend Logan. He got out of the car and started to walk toward the house with Max "Has Alec gone home yet or is he still staying here?"

"He's probably here." Max said. "He said he was going to let the kids keep him out of trouble." She said with a laugh as she rubbed her palm. "I'm back!" She called into the house as she came in.

"You're late." Dean said from the living room. "Alec was forced to rent porn to keep us out of trouble."

"He better be kidding." Max said.

"Only if you count Slumber Party Massacre as porn." Alec said. "Hey, they wanted either horror or porn. I chose horror. " He said with a shrug. "It's been an all night horror fest. Dean and Sam are trying to turn me into a hunter, I think."

"We were just telling him why they were so funny to us." Sam said. "I mean no one keeps anything out by hanging a cross over the door, that's just silly."

"And you're not condemned to die just by having sex." Dean said. "At least I hope not. Or man, life is going to suck. So how'd it go?"

"Oh your normal wacked out cult ritual. Snakes and all." Max said with a grin as they headed into the living room. "I'm even an honorary member I think." She said with a laugh.

"What happened to the kid?" Alec asked, getting up from the chair he had sunken into to watch the movies with the boys. "And what did you do to your hand. Dean go get that first aid kit of yours."

"Ray's fine. On his way to a very nice home." She said. "He said the strangest thing as he was recovering though. He asked if he passed. They cut me with some ceremonial knife, me it was an accident. Him, it was some sort of test. Left a weird mark too." She said as Dean came over and looked at it.

"Wow." He said. "Dad's got a mark like that on his forearm. Right about here." He said, pointing to the spot.

Sam of course had to come see what Dean was looking at. "Oh yeah I remember that. He never said how he got it either."

Alec looked at Max. Now was the moment they had been dreading. Telling the boys the truth about their father. "Did he always have it?" He asked.

"He said he got it as a kid. One of those long story things." Dean said as he cleaned it and put a bandage on it. The way Max healed, it would be gone in no time.

Max sighed. "As a kid?" Probably the age of Ray. "It's a pretty distinctive mark."

"What are you saying?" Sam asked. He could tell that she was trying to avoid telling them something. He could see it in her eyes. "You think Dad is connected to this cult just because he has that same scar?" He asked. "Dad wouldn't belong to any cult."

"Well he might not have had a choice." Max said carefully. "Especially if he was younger than you when he got the scar."

"You make it sound like these cult people are crazy. And definitely not the white hats." Dean said, his jaw tensing. "My dad is a hero."

"Dean, hear them out before you assume what they are saying" Alec said gently, hoping they would ease the kid into this.

"I know." Logan said. "But you see the kid we rescued today is younger than Sam and they put him through the ritual because his father is part of the cult. Doesn't mean your dad is part of it… we don't have any proof of that… what it does definitely mean is that your grandfather was part of it, and subjected your father to a ritual where he got that scar."

"You don't even know where our father is." Dean pointed out. "He wouldn't be messed up in this."

Max wondered what kind of brainwashing went into such blind devotion. She was positive now that telling Dean what they knew would utterly break the young teenager.

"Dean…" Alec said. "Logan said he didn't have any information that your Dad was mixed up in it, just that he had been put through the ritual. Only way to do that was to be put through it by his father as a small child. Could explain a lot about other things. Like why your father kept you boys hidden and on the go all the time. No one is trying to tell you your father isn't a hero."

"We were always moving because there were things to hunt." Dean said. "Like the demon that killed my mother."

"Yes, but it's also possible that he didn't want you boys caught up to. This cult is a breeding cult, they selectively choose… partners to create …. " Logan wasn't having an easy time of this. "To perfect the human race, for lack of a better way of putting it. Max and I feel this is why Manticore took you. Because of your connection to the cult. Your father would have been a little boy Dean. Eight tops. It wouldn't have been something he even understood. Ray didn't understand. Was just told what he had to say and that he had to be strong. No one is saying your father is a villain. No one is saying that."

Dean looked at Alec. "And what do you think?" He'd heard Logan's theories. Max was quiet, so she must agree. But Logan and Alec rarely agreed on anything.

Alec took a deep breath. "I think that Max and Logan went to rescue White's kid from some cults ritual. I think Max has a wound on her hand that came from a specialized blade used in that ritual. You told me that your father has that mark on his fore arm. " He said simply and gently. "I think anything beyond that is supposition by everyone. He had to get it somehow. Nothing anyone has said makes me think your Dad is a villain or involved in anything other than having some freak give him a scar."

"So my grandfather was a freak and Sam and I are genetically perfect." Dean said. "I took sex ed, half my DNA comes from my mom. Apparently this cult thing picks out wives and stuff to make sure everything stays pure, like the Nazis in Germany. If Sam and I are genetically perfect, or at least perfect enough for a souped up government project, means my mom was too. Which means it's probably not chance that my mom and dad got together. Which brings us right back to my dad being involved."

"Doesn't mean he was always involved." Alec said. He knew what Max believed and she was probably right. But right now, Dean needed to have enough wiggle room to talk himself into the truth, and if they put firm defining points on it, he would balk. "I know you use a phrase…you did when you got shot, about Pain being a Phantom of the Mind." He continued. "White uses that too."

"I figured my dad learned it in the Marines." Dean said. "Maybe White was in the military or something." He squirmed a bit. He didn't like where this was going. It went against the very core of his existence and everything he believed in.

"Maybe." Max said doubtfully. "Don't ask me, we're not exactly friends."

"Right now, all we have is a lot of maybe's and possibly's. Why don't we let it rest for a while?" Logan suggested. Dean was looking a little green. Disillusionment was a hard pill to swallow. He knew that from experience. Better to let the kid have a little time.

"Not much else we can do." Dean said. "You haven't found him yet." He said, missing the fact that Max chose that moment to go into the kitchen to get something to drink.

As far as she was concerned, John was a monster. No matter what his motivation. He was also dangerous. The last thing she wanted was to turn his sons back over to him.

"Are you surprised he's a difficult man to track down?" Logan asked. "He kept you two on the move to dodge a cult and a demon." That still came hard from Logan's mouth. Demon. He didn't believe in demons. Or angels for that matter. "Tracking down the supernatural. I imagine that habit would die hard even in his mid sixties."

"My dad's the best." Dean said with a grin. "So you've got a point. Bu we can't answer any of these questions until we find him."

Alec followed Max into the kitchen. "That was close." He said with a sigh. Dean worshiped the ground his father walked on. That didn't come from being abused. That came from being loved. But who knew if 27 years later he still loved his sons enough to protect them?

"Real close." Max agreed, handing Alec a beer. "What are we going to do? He wants to know where his father is. I know where he is. I've talked to the man, and his cheese is a mile away from his cracker in my opinion."

Alec sighed. "I don't know… someone called me up twenty seven years after my kids disappeared and if I know you, started to pitch attitude, I would probably sound a little whacked myself. This isn't some high class trust fund baby like Logan. He's a war veteran and a mechanic… turned CIA." He said quietly.

"I did not pitch an attitude." Max said. "Okay, maybe a little. But don't forget that stage in his life between mechanic and CIA agent. The whole demon hunting thing? Exorcizing ghosts? Battling nature spirits? That sound like a sane man to you?"

"And how sane did you sound when you explained to Cindy or even Logan what we are? How sane is it to believe that two boys can be kept in stasis for 27 years." He asked. "I'm not saying it's true, but honestly who's to say it isn't. Sanity is just another word for conformity. If you don't believe like everyone else you are insane and need to be helped by those that do conform."

"I think he's crazy." Max said. "And he'll make the boys into little mini-Johns. Come on, Dean already thinks his life will be a great success if he grows up to be exactly like his father." She shook her head. "We're not telling them jack until we figure out if he's as insane as I think he is."

"In the mean time, let's not have that conversation here." He said, knowing that old adage about little pitchers and big ears was created solely to describe Samuel Winchester. "So do we go and rescue Logan before Dean interrogates him further?" He asked. "Or do we stand in the door and watch cause I'm pretty sure it would be entertaining."

"Oh let's watch for a minute. I could use some entertainment." She said with a laugh.

Ames White was not a happy man.

In a week's time, he'd lost his wife, and his son.

Okay, point taken, he'd killed his wife. But she wouldn't let Ray go, endangering them all. But he had loved her. A part of him had died with her as he had choked the life out of her body.

Ray? He didn't even know if he survived the ritual. They said it hadn't looked good, but Ames had faith. Ray would survive. How could he not? He was such a bright, beautiful boy. He was worthy.

And now he was gone. Not dead, as far as he knew. But just gone. The bitch transgenic had infiltrated their most private ceremony....and taken off with his son.

He threw a bottle against the wall, the third one he'd shattered so far.

John had waited before going to the White residence. He hated the man. Granted, mostly for his father's sake. Because of the loss of his sons, the return to the fold that he had hated. For all the sad, tragic changes in his life that he laid at Sandeman's feet. That was why he hated Ames White.

But this was different. This went deeper than the bonds of religion or hate. Pain and loss that was so strong, it was almost physically tangible. He didn't bother knocking. He simply walked in and followed the all too familiar sounds of rage and grief… fear that only a father could feel.

He sat down in the nearby chair and waited.

"What?" Ames said, finally noticing John's presence. "I don't want to hear it. I really don't want to hear it, not now. She took my son. She fucking took my son."

"I know." He said in quiet rumbling tones. "I'm probably the only son of a bitch in a thousand miles that really knows what it is you are going through." He said not moving, just letting Ames rail at him. He needed a focus for that rage and at the moment John was willing to do for Ames what Bobby Singer had tried to do for him.

"They tell me he was going to die anyway. But you know what? He wasn't. I know he wasn't. He was going to make it through." Ames said, slumping down in a chair with a drink. "So she's ruined everything."

"She's playing at being a white hat. She won't have hurt him." John said. "Which means there's hope. She isn't going to raise the kid, or risk keeping him in Seattle… so there has to be someone they would be willing to send him to… when the pain subsides, sort out who that would be." He said calmly. "We'll get your boy back."

"She's got your boys too." Ames pointed out in between drinks. "She's kept them in Seattle, around all those transgenics, warping their minds...."

"I'm getting closer to fixing that problem." John said with a slow smile. "But I don't think she actually kept your boy. I think she has moved him on to another location. So clean yourself up. Put on your best sober desperate father face, and come with me. We're going to make a plea to the people that took your son. It will go out over national television and with any luck Ray will see and call you. They wouldn't set him up as a prisoner somewhere. They think they are the good guys."

Ames shook his head, sobering up. "And of course, as my dearest friend, you'll stand by my side, hoping for a few close ups for your boy to see." He said. "Maybe we can expose this transgenic problem at the same time. Monsters that take people's children, who knows what they do to them."

"That's the plan." He said. "It's what I do after all. I stop the monsters." John got to his feet. "I'll make the arrangements. Call me when you're ready to do this."

"By the morning." Ames said. "In the meantime I'm going to file a missing persons report. And contact different police. Maybe I can tie my wife's unfortunate death to this as well."

John nodded. "Good man. I'll see you in the morning." He said as he walked toward the door. Things were going to come together now. He supposed he should thank 452 for her actions. It had opened up the way for him to get his boys back, and destroy her own kind all in one. All in all it was going to be a good day.

"We'll get our boys back, right?" Ames said. "You can tell me that we'll get our boys back."

"We'll get them back." John said firmly, and with conviction. "All of them. Your boy will see and he will call you. You've been good to him. He knows you love him. He'll call, and we will go get him."

John had many faults in Ames' eyes. But at least he believed Ames when Ames insisted his son was alive. "Thank you." He said. And if John was correct about his own boys' devotion, they too would return.

"That's Dad… Dad is in town…" Sam frowned a little. "That guy shot you? That means he's the one that wants to kill Alec… " Sam sank onto the sofa. "And the kid that's missing is the kid that Max and Logan went to …rescue." It was confusing. He wasn't sure what to believe. Their dad would never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it. No matter what he thought about his dad's honesty, the guy would never hurt anyone that wasn't a monster.

Dean shook his head, eyes glued to the screen. "I don't know." Dean said. "I don't know anything anymore. I really don't." And he didn't like it. He listened to the press conference, as Ames begged for his son to be returned to him, and the monsters that took his son would pay. Sounded ominous to him. And his father was nodding along. "Are we monsters? We were asleep for twenty seven years. That's not normal. He wouldn't believe it's us. He'd think we were monsters."

"Maybe if we called him first… tried to explain… he would believe you. Dad always believes you…" Sam said, although he thought on some level, Dean was right. That maybe he would try and kill them thinking they were demons or shape shifters or something. "There has to be some way of proving we are who we say we are. "

"Maybe." Dean said. "I don't know, Sam. We'll see, right?"

"Hey." Max said as she came in.

"We found our father." Dean said flatly. "He was on TV."

"He was on with that Ames White guy, whose kid you rescued. That was the guy who wants Alec dead and was there when Dean was shot. He was talking about the monsters that took his son… " Sam's face showed the confusion and emotion that Deans hid. "He's gonna think we are monsters."

"You're not monsters." Max said, sitting down next to Sam. "Ames White is a liar."

"So my dad is a liar?" Dean asked defensively, and Max took a breath.

"White has government connections. We think your dad is CIA. So who knows what Ames White said to get your dad on his side." Max said, carefully.

"Maybe he thinks he is just helping someone else that lost their son." Sam said. "Maybe he doesn't know anything about what White is involved in. Dad's good, but he doesn't read minds after all."

"You're right." Dean said to his brother. "Dad's just trying to help is all. He knows what it's like after all." He said, wondering if their father had written them off. It had been close to thirty years. Maybe he didn't even remember them.

"We'll talk to him and see… " Sam said. "Like you said before we won't know anything until we talk to him. And if he doesn't remember us or doesn't believe us… we'll… think of something." Sam didn't know what. But they would think of something.

"We'll do that." Dean said, silently deciding that Sam wouldn't be there for the initial talk. In case they were monsters. He didn't think could stand it. He wasn't sure he could. And he didn't want to put his brother through that.

So he kept everyone off the subject until night fall. Put Sam to bed and slipped out, making his way into the city. And he saw the car. He wasn't crazy, it really was the car. So he followed it. All the way into one of the nicer neighborhoods. All the way to the front door.


	7. Choices

Dean stood at the front door for a long moment. A very long moment. Just looking around. He peeked in a couple of windows, but didn't see anyone. He didn't know who was driving the car, they'd disappeared into the garage. But it was definitely the car.

He tried to knock several times, and every time lost his nerve. Until finally he did knock. And a middle aged woman in a uniform answered the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked, a bit perturbed at the late hour.

Dean stared at her and she had to repeat the question. "No, I'm sorry. I think I have the wrong house. Sorry." He said as he turned to go.

"No." Came a man's voice from behind the housekeeper. "You have the right house. Come on in." He said. "I'm David by the way." He looked to the house keeper. "Go tell my father we have a guest."

The woman nodded and turned to do as she was told.

"You could have flagged me down, you know. It was a long walk all the way over here. " David said.

"Exercise is good for you." Dean said. "Look, I thought I recognized the car, I'm sorry. I've got the wrong house, sorry for waking everyone up. It's late." Thrown off by this man who called his father 'father'. Who looked eerily familiar in a way. But he had the wrong house, had to have the wrong house.

John walked into the room, wearing sweat pants and a loose tee shirt, having been dressed for bed. "Dean?" He said aloud, even knowing that his plan would work, even knowing his son as he did, there was still awe in his voice. "My god, you're actually here…" His voice cracked then.

"I'm not a ghost." Dean said, just staring at his father. Hair liberally laced with gray, more lines, but this was his dad. He'd know him anywhere. "I'm not a shape shifter." He said, automatically, going over the options in his head with rapid fire speed. "I'm not a revenant, I'm just....here."

"I know, son. " He said, stepping forward. "I know… Sandeman took you and Sam from me… I know about Manticore… I just couldn't get to you…I didn't know where the base was and then… I thought you had died in the fire…"

"Saw you on TV." Dean said. "With Ames White. I got shot once, he was there." He looked at David, who he didn't recognize as being there. "Didn't hurt much though."

John stepped forward and pulled his son into his arms, holding him tightly. "God Dean…" he said, his voice cracking with emotion. His boy was home. Finally one of his boys was home, where he could protect him and keep him safe.

"I don't understand what happened." Dean said in his father's arms. "I locked the doors like you told me to, and then we went to sleep. And next thing I know, I'm waking up in a lab and it's on fire, and it's not 1993, and I don't understand any of this!" He faked being fine like Alec faked being alright. They were both good at it, but Dean had finally blown over.

"Shhhhh." John said soothingly. "It's alright. You are safe here. I know his is hard for you. They took you to punish me… I am so sorry. " It was partly true. Because he had left the cult, because he had followed his heart. Partly it was to cripple the cult as well, because of Sandeman's own change of heart. "But we're together… once we bring Sam home, we'll all be together as a family."

"I don't understand!" Dean said. "You were on TV with White, and he wants me dead. Or at least a friend of mine. How can I be safe? How can I keep Sammy safe if he's walking around? And you're talking to him!"

"I told you White would be a problem." David said.

John glared at his adopted son. "I don't know which one shot you. It wasn't White. They were aiming for the abomination that was carrying you. David and I have been trying to find you ever since, trying to make sure it was you… but White means you no harm son. Not you, not Sam."

"Dad, he only started carrying me after I was shot." Dean said. "And he's not an abomination, he's my friend. He helped Sam and I get things together when we woke up. Why do you think he's an abomination?"

"He was created by Manticore. He wasn't conceived, he was mixed up in some test tube for their purposes. He isn't even a genuine clone. His entire purpose was death and destruction. All the creations out of Manticore, with their twisted DNA, are abominations. They are monsters, Dean. You know what has to be done with monsters."

Dean pulled away from his father. "You're wrong." He said. "Alec saved me. I was shot. It got infected. I nearly died. And he made sure I didn't. That's not a monster. And what's up with the breeding people? How's that different from Manticore? I know what your scar means now. What about now? Are you still in it now?"

"We'll talk about that in the morning." John said. "We have a lot to talk about and a lot to tell each other. Maybe your friend is different than the rest but it's going to take a lot to convince me. We'll talk about it later."

"No, we'll talk about it now." Dean said. He wasn't being belligerent. He was scared, and that showed in his tone, even as David frowned. "Who's he? My brother? You had another kid? How? Who's his mom?"

"My mom is dead." David said. It was mostly true. "It's weird, you're my older brother, and you're a kid." He said with a grin. "But it'll be all right. All Dad could ever talk about was getting you two back, and now you're back. When can we go pick up Sammy?"

"David's right, we should bring Sammy home, and then we can talk about this together, as a family. Otherwise I am going to wind up repeating myself for days. Probably will anyway if I know Sam," he said with a faint smile. Sam was always questioning, always pushing. It was unusual that Dean would do so, but the boy was scared, he could tell that. "I know you have been through a lot. It's all got to be scary as hell right now. But you're home, son… that's all that matters now."

"I don't know." Dean said. "I'm going to have to prepare Sam for this." Something was off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off. "Did you find the demon? The one that killed Mom?"

"That's… a long story, and it's late. We can take this up again in the morning, son, then we will go get Sam. I know you like to baby him, but it's time this family was back together and then we will talk about everything."

"I'll give you a call tomorrow. They don't know I'm gone. I snuck out." Dean said with a weak smile. "They might send out an APB for me or something."

"No, son. I can't have you walk out the door right now. I just got you back. Stay, we'll both go get Sam tomorrow. We'll take a road trip, get back to business for a while… put things right." He didn't want Dean leaving and telling the transgenics where they were. "Besides I don't trust them… the one… the female," he said, "Manticore labeled as 452 called me a while back. She didn't tell you that, did she?"

Dean's eyes narrowed. "So you suggest I leave Sam where she can find him all night then?" He asked and shook his head. "Can't do it. Besides, I have work tomorrow." He had customers after all.

"Does she have any reason to hurt him tonight? Then we go get him tonight. Trust me, I am more than happy to go get your brother tonight. If not, then we wait until morning. I am more worried about them not allowing you to return than hurting you right now. Dean, you are gonna have to cut me some slack here." He said. "I can't let you walk out that door like a ghost."

"And you're going to have to trust me." Dean said. "I can't have Sam wake up and I'm not there. As far as he knows, I'm all he has left. I can't do that to him. You told me watch out for Sammy, and I am sir."

"It's not you I don't trust, Dean. " He said firmly. "Fine… you go back, and you get your brother. There's an all night dive," he said and gave him the sector and address. "David and I will meet you there."

"Yes sir." Dean said as he took the address and committed it to memory. He looked at his father one more time, as if expecting him to disappear again, and left into the night to go back to Joshua's.

David watched him go. "I could follow him, but he'll know he's being followed." He pointed out. "That went better than expected." Though seeing the kid up close and personal, he didn't find Dean all that impressive. And doubted Sam would be any more so.

"Yes it did and yes he would. We go to the rendezvous point and we wait. He'll show. He wants answers." John said. "I'm gonna go get dressed, bring the car around front." He told his son. "By the way, good job, David. Thank you."

Dean went to the first phone and called Alec's cell phone. "I found him." Dean said. "I found my dad."

"What?" Alec said, shooing away the girl he had been pretending to pay attention to in the bar. "Where are you?" He asked as he headed out of crash and toward his motorcycle. This was not good. Not good at all.

"I'm headed back to Joshua's. He wants me to wake up Sam and go meet him." The whole thing was overwhelming to Dean. He was just fourteen after all. "He told me Max called him before. Max is 452 right? Why wouldn't she tell us? She said she hadn't found him, she lied to us, Alec. Did you know too?"

"She wasn't sure it was your Dad, she wanted to make sure before getting your hopes up, that's all. Look, the guy she told me she talked to… sounded crazy to her. Are you positive your Dad is okay…it's been a long time. A lot has happened. Did anything seem off or creepy?" He asked. "I hope that it's all above board and you get the reunion you want, but you wouldn't be calling me freaked if it was. Talk to me."

"Well, he says you guys are abominations." Dean said. "Monsters, and I know what has to be done with monsters But you guys aren't monsters, but my dad might hunt you down like you were. You guys aren't monsters, but my dad will hunt you. He wouldn't say he wasn't in the cult, he didn't say he got the demon that killed my mother, and he's got another son apparently, David, who's really weird."

Alec got on his bike. "I don't want you to head home until we are sure you aren't followed. I am leaving Crash now. Meet me at your usual corner. We'll sort this out and go from there. Something is off here, and I don't want you two in there until we figure it out. I'll call Max and have her go over there to sit with them just in case."

"Okay." Dean said, his head still swirling. It wasn't a direct disobeying of his father's orders. A quick detour would be okay. He hung up and double tracked and went the long way, cutting through alleys and buildings until he got to his usual corner and sat down, back against a building wall.

Alec drove quickly, calling Max as he went. "We have a serious problem." He said without even saying hello. "Dean went and found his father. Some how he talked his way out again but I think you need to get over to Joshua's and clear everyone out. Clean sweep. Just in case. I'm going to meet Dean now."

"I'll take them to Terminal City." Max said. "We've got enough iodine for Dean and Sam. Be careful, okay? Just in case he was followed."

"That's the plan. He knows you called Winchester." Alec told her. "Old man told him. Dean is upset. Be prepared." He said and hung up, speeding his way to the street corner. "Get on, kiddo" He said. "Let's go get something to eat." He knew Dean needed to decompress before laying eyes on anyone again. Including his own brother.

Dean got on the back and was silent until they were sitting across from each other, a hot greasy pizza between them. "I had to check it out first, before Sammy. Just in case it was a hoax. It's him. It's really him."

"So what does your gut tell you about this situation?" Alec asked, he figured he could tell Dean where Max was taking Sam and Joshua later. "Your father trained you well, so take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Relax… and go through it all, slowly in your mind. Don't think about your dad…think about the situation, and the things that don't add up. Then compare it to the things that do."

"My gut tells me that it's my dad. And he wants me to get Sam. And I've never disobeyed an order from him. Ever. Well, no, I did once. And Sam nearly died, so I never did again." Dean said. "A lifetime of hunting demons, maybe he can't reconcile demons and trangenics as being monsters. He knows about the demon that killed my mom, but he's not telling me. David looks familiar, really familiar, which is impossible, because he was born after Sam and I were in stasis. His house is really big. He has a housekeeper. That's weird, for my dad. But he still has the car, the Impala. I was seeing it all this time, it wasn't a hallucination. That's all I know."

"Maybe this David guy looks like someone from your family." Alec suggested. "Maybe he reminds you of your dad or something. Dean… I can tell that you believe it's your father, but is this where you want to go? Do you want to take Sam into that house with him? Knowing that he is connected to Ames White… that he doesn't deny being part of the cult?"

"I don't know!" Dean said. "I just wanted to find my dad. I didn't get much past that. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to think, he said he'd explain it all when I brought Sam, so he didn't have to repeat himself. That part's still true, he hates to repeat himself."

"Okay. No rush. " Alec said. "Eat some more pizza and think about it. You don't have to go meet him tonight. You can take your time. Or we can have someone go with you when you do meet with him. Me, Max, Logan… someone."

"He'd kill you guys." Dean said around a mouthful of pizza. "But if I'm not there, I don't know, I'll never figure it out. I hate this. It got all screwed up, I just wanted to know."

"I'm not going to abandon you guys till we sort this out." Alec said. "There has to be a way that doesn't involve you two walking in there with no way out. I know he's your dad, but he has obviously changed over the years. Servants, CIA, another child… that's a lot of change."

"I'm not an idiot." Dean said. "I know that. It's been twenty seven years for him. For me and Sam, really it's just been a couple of weeks since we last saw our dad. But for him, it's twenty seven years. I don't know that I know him anymore, except that he loves us. That I do know." His father had nearly cried when he saw Dean. And John Winchester did not cry. At least not when Dean could see.

"I'm not saying this is easy and it's not fair you have to make this choice now, but Dean, I don't think that you will get a chance to change your mind if you go back. It's your choice, but please, think about it long and hard."

"You think my dad would hold us hostage?" Dean asked. He didn't believe that. He shook his head. I have to talk to him again. But I don't know that I can put Sam through it. In case he's changed a lot."

"It's not holding you hostage when it's your father and you are under age. " He said. "It's called grounding." Although hostage was exactly what he had meant, and with Winchester residing in Seattle, it would be a lot harder to rescue the boys and keep them safe after wards. "Max went to Joshua's and took him and sam out to Terminal City, don't worry, they have iodine pills Sam won't get sick… but it is a safe place. It's where the less human looking of us go… so please never mention it even in passing."

"I won't." Dean promised. "I have to meet him in a dive bar. It's just the sort of place he'd hang out in back in the day." He sighed and finished his slice. "I should get going, I'll think of something to explain why I didn't bring Sam."

"Which bar? I want to be around in case something goes wrong." Alec said. He would never forgive himself if Dean were taken against his will. He felt a bead of cold sweat on his brow as he thought of it. Too close to memories he didn't want to have.

Dean told him. "Hopefully it will go well. But my dad has never been used to not getting his way. I really don't expect that to have changed."

"Okay…he chose a public place to set you at ease, make it appear that there is a choice involved. You two object and there are dozens of witnesses having heard you call him Dad, therefore they won't interfere. It will be someplace he has been before. Someplace he feels he has the upper hand. Someplace he feels safe." Alec said, profiling the situation. "He has connections. He is going to be expecting back up on your part just in case. So I anticipate White will be there. You had a gun the day you were shot. Is it still on you?"

"Always." Dean said. "I have a knife in my boot too." Some habits died hard, that was one of this. "I'm not bringing Sam. So I'm walking in there with the upper hand. In that I know where he is and my father doesn't. He'll change the way he approaches it then because of that."

Alec nodded. "Okay. I will be waiting outside. To the side of the building. So that you can get to me via which ever door if you have to." Alec had been trained his entire life in covert operations. He knew how a man in the CIA would be trained. He also knew how to turn that into a dirty fight. "If you get food or drink, don't let it out of your sight. Your dad might be on the up and up but this new brother of yours sounds creepy as you put it. No telling what he will be willing to do. Once you are done, and we make sure you aren't followed, we'll go catch up with Sam." He shook his head. "You stay with us and I am going to have to see that you get more training… we've both been slacking." He added with a grin.

Dean had to laugh. "Guess we have been." He said. "Okay, I'm headed over there now."

John tried to call White for back up, but his phone was busy. And White wouldn't allow the line to be broken, not now. Not with that little voice over the line.

"Daddy....?"

White felt his knees turn to rubber. His son was alive. His only boy was alive. "Ray… where are you son, Daddy will come and get you." He leaned against the wall as he spoke to his son, relief flooding through him.

"Shh...it's late. They don't know I'm using the phone, but they're very nice." Ray said. He'd stayed up late to call his father, his father was so worried about him. "Is Mommy dead?" That had been mentioned too. He wasn't sure how to take that. And the people he was living with wouldn't discuss it.

"Yes son… she is… the people that took you from the school killed your mother. I'm sorry." He said. "Are you alright? Where are you, Ray? I want to bring you home."

Ray told him where he was, getting the address off an envelop on the table. "Daddy, I was strong enough." He said, quite proud that he'd survived the ritual. Just like his father told him he would. "I did it, I was real sick, but I was strong."

"I knew you would be, son. I knew you would be. Don't tell anyone you spoke to me. I'm on my way. I'll be there before you know it." He was walking toward his car. "I want you to hang up the phone, and go back to bed, Ray. I love you."

"I love you, Daddy." He said and yawned. "I'm going to bed now. I can't wait to see you." He said as he hung up the phone and scampered off to bed. The lady of the house, watching from a doorway, immediately called Logan.

"He called his father." The woman said.

"Get out of there" Logan said. "He will be on his way. Call me when you get to a safe place and I will arrange for new papers to be brought to you." He said. This was all unraveling way too fast. Winchester now White.

"Will do." The woman said and hung up the phone, going up to Ray with a smile. "Come on, we're going to go on a trip." She said pleasantly. "It'll be fun."

John Winchester sat in a booth, leaning over a bottle of beer, probably looking more like his old self than he had in 10 years or more. And much like the proverbial duck on the water, he was nowhere near as calm as he appeared on the surface.

Dean cautiously entered the bar and sat across from his father. "I don't know you." He said sadly. "I'm the same, time hasn't passed for me. But it's passed for you."

"27 years worth of time… a lot of grief and worry over you boys. " He said. "And you didn't bring your brother because I've gotten older? Or because you think I'm possessed?" He asked, not getting a good feeling off this encounter. Things weren't going to plan. It wasn't like Dean not to obey him at all. David was right. The transgenics were brainwashing his boy somehow.

"Because I don't know." Dean said. "You taught me first and foremost, never expose Sammy to danger or risk if I didn't have to. And I've always tried, and I've never forgotten that time that I messed up. So, yeah, I'm over careful now. I've only got one Sam after all."

"That's not entirely true, but I'm glad you are still putting your little brother ahead of everything else. I just never thought you would be trying to protect him from me." John said. "What do I need to say to convince you I still love you boys?"

"Which part isn't entirely true? I never did forget about the shtriga. And I've tried harder since then." Dean said. Typical. His father wouldn't let that one go. Dean knew he'd never forget it, especially the way his father looked at him after. "The dad I knew didn't have a big house, didn't have a housekeeper, didn't have a real job. It's not the older part. It's the change part."

John sighed. "27 years is a long time, Dean. There is only so long a man's body will take being thrown against walls and pillars. Only so long you can break ribs and fracture every other bone in your body. When you two were taken, I stopped hunting and started trying to track you down. I didn't care about the monsters anymore. Only the ones that took you from me. Eventually I couldn't even do that anymore. I was offered a chance. To do something meaningful, to make a difference. I took it. I'm sorry that's a shock for you. I can understand that. But son… it's still me in here."

Dean nodded. "Do you know what happened to Bobby? And Pastor Jim? Joshua?" He asked. "They're dead, aren't they? I tried to find some sign of them, but I couldn't."

"Josh was killed about 20 years ago, got mixed up with some faith healer that was using a reaper to transfer life force or some such nonsense. Jim and Caleb were killed by demons that were looking for the Colt… a gun rumored to kill anything. Including a fallen. Bobby Singer, well he died of a heart attack about 5 years ago. Although what a man his age was doing out chasing down a werewolf, I don't know. He got the shifter though."

"Of course Bobby got it." Dean said with a grin. "That man didn't know the meaning of failure. So this Colt, did anyone ever track it down? Sounds like it could come in handy. I'm going to start training again, because that evil son of a bitch that took Mom has to die."

"Dean… I am all for you starting to train again. I have time to train you, I know people that can fill in when I am on assignment. But son…for 10 years I dragged you boys all over the country, taking away your childhood and putting you in danger for vengeance. It's time to let go. I lost everything, I don't want that to happen to you. Your mother is gone. I love her still, but she is gone and getting yourself killed won't change that. Let it go."

"See? That's what I'm talking about. For you, it's been nearly forty years since Mom died. It hasn't been that long to me. I have to keep reminding myself that this isn't a sudden about face." Dean said. "That maybe you don't have dreams about the fire anymore." Dean still did, his brother's tiny weight in his arms as he ran, the fire at his back, making it out the door, their father scooping them both up. Watching the house burn from the hood of the Impala. Learning later by eavesdropping that there wasn't enough left of his mother to fill a body bag. Knowing a demon did it. "You swore to Mom you'd get it. And if you won't, I will."

"We can hash all of that out when you and your brother come home. It's important to me to have you at home, where I know you are safe. I know you can take care of yourself and your brother. I raised you to be able to do that but Dean, I'm still your father, gray hair and all. I want you to come home. Tonight."

"When where we were burned, we ran. Dude, we ran for hours, felt like days. Came to Seattle, first thing I did was find a place to sleep. Then food. Clothes. A way to make money. Allies. I know I know how to take care of Sam." Dean said. "But home? Home is crappy motel rooms and efficiency apartments. The back seat of the Impala. Where you live isn't home, it's where you live. And I don't think David likes me." He couldn't explain it. David seemed too friendly. His smile too forced. Too visibly relaxed. "And that's his home."

"Your home is with me where ever that happens to be." John said. "And David… you have to understand while he was growing up… I couldn't let you two go. He has spent his entire life hearing stories of you two and what you could do. He's a little jealous. He'll get over it."

"And when you go on assignment again?" Dean asked. "Us, David and a housekeeper? Sounds like a riot. And we're stuck in a time that's not ours. Sam's finally adjusted to the life I made for him." He'd make his reasons all about Sam, protecting Sam, even coddling Sam, to cover his own unexplained anxiety. Things just weren't settling right.

"And how are you going to make sure he goes to school? You can't get public schooling anymore. What about you Dean? What is it you want out of life other than my car and killing demons? Have you even slowed down to think about that… about the future. We have one now, son. We didn't before. All we had was the moment we were living in. One step ahead of those after us and one step behind the one we were after. You can't tell me that's what you want out of life."

"Sam's being educated, I'm making sure of it. He's insistent that he doesn't want to grow up stupid, and it's amazing what you can find out there." Dean said. "And technically, the car is mine. You said I could have it when I turned eighteen. Technically that was twenty three years ago." He said with a quick grin. "And I still have to stay a step ahead of everyone. Manticore might be after me. White was after me, and someone in his group shot me. So I'm not having fuzzy feelings toward him, you know."

"White's men got over zealous because of the… thing… with you. He has no intention of hurting you or Sammy. I can't say the same about his intentions toward 494 and 452. Especially since 452 kidnapped his son from his private school."

"Their names are Alec and Max." Dean said. "And she took him after he got really sick from a weird ritual thing. You know, where you got your scar. What's up with that? Is that planned for me and Sam too? Because from what I hear, some don't make it out."

"Only those that aren't strong. You and Sam don't have anything to worry about. And right now, that isn't what we need to focus on. We need to focus on being a family again. We need to get you boys back to the house, some place warm and safe and just get to know each other again. I can take a leave of absence from the agency."

"He is warm and safe." Dean said, defensively. "Where'd David come from?"

"David is a clone of your brother." John said with a sigh. "Something I was given…consolation prize I guess. " He said honestly. "Not an abomination… his DNA is exactly the same as Sam's. That tall, lanky young man is exactly what your brother will look like at 24." He said honestly. "But he is a good boy. A little willful, but you know Sam…apparently stubborn and willful are genetic traits. I am only telling you the truth because you think so highly of these transgenics. I figure you can handle the truth about a direct clone. There are those that don't think of him as a real person, but he is. He is my son as much as you are."

"Sam's gonna be tall, he's so worried about growing up short along with stupid." Dean said. "No, it makes sense. It does. I understand it, I can handle it. But I think highly of the transgenics because they helped Sam and I when we got here. They shared food with us, took care of me when I almost died. They're not evil, Dad. You can't blame them for what some scientist did. Unless you want to blame those same exact scientists for David. They're my friends."

"I know. And maybe you are right and they aren't evil, but they are still dangerous. Being around them is dangerous. The government wants them rounded up or destroyed. When the rest of the world figures out that they aren't tabloid news, they will turn on them as well. It's not safe for you or Sammy. If they care about you as much as you think, they will understand that. They would want you to be safe."

"Manticore is a government project." Dean pointed out. "They want me and Sam rounded up too, put back in stasis, the whole nine. You work for the government that wants to put us back on ice." His head was confused. It really was. This was his father...he wanted nothing more than to go home with him.

"Dean… Yes I work for the government, but that is because I am fighting Manticore and everything about it. The CIA doesn't want you two back in stasis. Most of the CIA doesn't believe Manticore truly exists. The people in DC don't believe it exists. It's one of those covert black ops organizations that no one tells anyone else about so they can deny it ever existed. I can keep you safe. I can keep Sammy safe. But I can't do that if you aren't with me, Dean."

Dean nodded. "We'll be there tomorrow." He said. "Sam was sleeping when I left. And he doesn't sleep much, he's afraid he'll wake up twenty seven years from now. Just let him sleep, okay?" This was his father. There were very few people in the world that could tell John Winchester no. And Dean was not one of them.

John sighed. "You have no idea how hard it is for me to let you walk away right now. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and you will be nothing but a dream." He told his son. "But fine. Come back to the house tomorrow. I will be waiting. If you don't show up… I'm going to assume the worst." He said. "But I can promise not to bother your friends if they drop you off. After all … I know there is someone waiting for you outside right now, and I am leaving him alone."

"Thank you." Dean said. "He's got an ego on him you know. I don't think he'd recover if he got his ass handed to him by an old ordinary." Dean said with a grin.

"Oh there is nothing ordinary about us, son. Nothing at all. " John said with a chuckle. "Go on home to Sam. I will see you tomorrow. Don't let me down, Dean."

"I've always tried not to, sir." Dean said as he got up and headed over to Alec outside. "He's expecting Sam and I tomorrow morning." He said simply. "He's my dad, Alec."

"There's no way I can talk you out of this, is there?" He said, watching carefully for the hidden trap. That was going to be the way of it from then on. Dean and Sam were going to go away, and be indoctrinated into the cult. They would either be used as bait or turned against them. Alec was losing part of his family again. All of this played across his face briefly before being shut down in true transgenic fashion. "Well, then let's go for a wild ride before going to get your brother."  
He wasn't going to lead the cult straight back to the family he had left. He hoped taking Sam there hadn't proven to be one big mistake that would cost them everything.

"He's my dad." Dean said with a helpless shrug, looking younger than his fourteen years. "No one can say no to my dad, especially me. I'm not strong enough to do what you hoped I would. He said he can keep Sam safer than I can. He's probably right, and he's my dad."

"It's alright." Alec said. It wasn't alright. There was no way it could be alright, but there was also no way he was going to tell the kid that. He didn't deserve it. He just hoped that Dean would remember after everything they were going to pound into his head what the transgenics were really like. Dean was 14, Sam was even younger. They both thought their dad was a hero and they obviously couldn't tell him no. Alec wasn't sure how to handle this. His training told him one thing and his heart told him the other.

"No it's not. Either way I decided, someone got let down, right?" Dean said. "Story of my life I guess. I know the cult is evil. Dad pretty much said they were the motivation for Sam and I being taken, and missing out on good chunks of our lives. And you guys aren't monsters. You guys are just as much family as my dad, but I have to give him a chance. I gave you guys a chance after all."

"I want you to be happy and safe and I don't think you are going to be either. " Alec said. " I think you are going to be trapped there and there won't be anything you can do but conform. Let down? You didn't let me down. You chose what you wanted out of life. How is that letting me down? I'm just worried." About a lot of things. About one day having to face Dean as an enemy rather than a brother.

"I'm sorry." Dean said again. "But I'm not going to conform to some weird ass religious breeding cult. I mean, if push comes to shove, I know I can take care of Sam on my own reasonably well."

"I know you can." Alec said. "You don't have to…if you need help, if you need someone to get you away from there. Call me." There, he had done it. Fallen into the trap before it was even set. He knew what he was doing. He knew that men like Winchester and White would use the boys even as they professed their love for them, because everything was a tool. But he wouldn't leave them hanging. Not if he could prevent it.

"I will." Dean said. "You know, I think Max and Logan might be done. They're hardly together any more. I'd swoop in and get my girl back if I were you. She's hot." Changing the subject, because there was nothing left to say.

"I'll keep that in mind." He said as he started the bike. "Hop on. We'll head back to my place and have Max bring Sam there. You two can stay the night with me before heading back to your father." It was safer for everyone else and Alec wasn't one for real roots at the moment.

"I've put everyone in danger, haven't I?" Dean asked. "I didn't mean too, and I promise I won't tell. You think I risked my life breaking you out of Manticore only to double agent you?"

"I don't think it's in you to double cross anyone, Dean. You aren't that kinda guy." Alec said. But he also knew what indoctrination was like, and how painfully young they really were. Not that Dean would ever admit to being young. Much less that young.

Dean wouldn't admit to being young, because he didn't feel young. He'd been Sam's primary caretaker since their mother died. And even worse, their father's most of the time as well. "Thanks." He said, he felt a little better at Alec's acknowledgment of that as they walked up the stairs to get into Alec's place.

Alec pulled out his cell phone and dialed Max's number. "Bring Sam over to my place, the boys are going home to their father in the morning." Felt like he was giving up his own kids, which was insane given how young he was. But it did. Felt like he was letting them down. Failing them in some very basic way. But there was nothing to be done for it. Dean had made his choice, or rather his father had made it for him.

"Are you insane?" Max said. "Tell me I didn't just hear right. We are not turning them over to their father. I don't care who is he. Alec, come on, joke's over."

"Max!" He said, a little more sharply than he had intended. "This isn't a joke and it isn't our decision. You know that. I don't like it, but there isn't anything we can do about it. " He hated that most of all. "Just… bring Sam here, please." He wasn't going to lose it. Not until the next day. Dean didn't need the guilt, he probably got enough of that from his father already.

"No." Max said. "Absolutely not. I'm not bringing Sam. I'm taking the decision out of everyone's hands. They're kids. They don't know any better. No, I'm not bringing Sam."

"How old were you when you made the choice to jump ship? You were younger than either of these boys and you weren't running to your father. I don't like it, but we aren't going to keep them hostage either. Damn it Max, just do it. This isn't about us, or what we want. That isn't a card you want to play, not with Dean."

Max was silent for a long moment. "Fine." She said quietly. "We'll be there in twenty minutes." She hung up the phone and went over to where Sam and Joshua were playing make shift poker with some unusual looking transgenics. "Hey, Sam, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure." Sam said as he set his cards aside. "I can collect later from these guys." Max looked upset , very upset. She was never good at hiding her emotions. They flashed in her dark eyes, whether she knew it or not. "Dean's alright, isn't he?" He asked.

"He's fine. He's with Alec." Max said as she sat Sam down. "Dean snuck off earlier though, and confirmed that guy on TV was your dad. He spoke with him, and your dad wants you and Dean to go live with him tomorrow." She wasn't going to scare Sam, served no purpose.

"Really?" He asked excitedly. "That's great. I mean… we can still come and visit and all right?" He didn't want to leave his friends but this was his dad. It was where they belonged. It was something that made sense in this new world they were living in.

"Your dad doesn't really care for transgenics. Like a lot of people." She said. "Sam, where we are right now? You can't tell anyone, ever. It's the last safe place people like Mole have to go."

"I won't tell anyone. Trust me, we're good at keeping secrets. Been doing it my whole life." Sam said. "But Dad just doesn't know you guys, that's all. He doesn't understand. When we were … you know … supposed to be growing up… there wasn't anything but humans and demons or monsters. He just doesn't understand."

"I'm sure that's it." Max said. "Come on, kiddo. Let's get you over to Alec's, we'll hang out before you head over there in the morning." She said, messing up his shaggy dark hair. "But if you don't like it, or you feel scared, you call me. Any time, got it? I'll always answer."

"Yeah, okay." Sam said with a nod. "I'll probably call just to talk sometimes. Is that okay too?" He asked. "I don't think Dad is gonna let us hang out on street corners selling sector passes any more. I might even get to go back to a real school."

"That sounds exciting." Max said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She could just imagine the school Winchester would send his kids to. "And sure, call me any time. Even just to talk."

"I bet Dean is excited. It means that the car he has been seeing is real, it's Dad's car, and if anyone can keep it running, it's Dad. Dean loves that car almost as much as he loves us." Sam said, grinning broadly.

Max forced a smile as they snuck out of Terminal City and headed to Alec's. "So figure we'll order some pizza, get a few movies, just crash tonight. Nice and relaxing before you head over there tomorrow." Hoping one of the boys backed out.

"Max… since you and Logan don't see much of each other any more… are you gonna get back together with Alec. You two keep looking at each other… you know… that… creepy way."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Max said. "What do you mean, that creepy way?"

"You know… the kind of way that usually leads to kissing and icky stuff in the movies. Dean says it isn't icky, but I don't think he knows what he's talking about. He hasn't been on any dates either. It's… you know… creepy."

Max laughed. "I promise no icky creepiness tonight." She said. Alec would get a kick out of this if she told him. Which she wouldn't. Kids these days.

"Good, especially if you are ordering pizza. I would hate to lose my appetite on my last night with you guys. That would be bad."

Max laughed as she gave the door a courtesy knock before walking in. Dean didn't look as thrilled as she thought and she glanced at Alec. "So what kind of pizza did you order us?" She asked with forced brightness.

"I know… but Dean insists that he wants to go." Alec said. "And if we try and stop him, it will get ugly fast. "

"Wow… a clone?" Sam said, eyes big. "Then… why is Dad so freaked out by the transgenics if he is raising my clone like his own son?" He wasn't sure how to take it. "Tell me he doesn't look like a total dweeb. Please. If you say he looks like a girl I will so kick you in the shins."

"He looks like he's a drag queen on the weekends. I'm telling ya, you gotta start cutting your hair." Dean said with a grin as he got up to get the pizza and wings. "It's going to be okay, he said he's going to explain everything tomorrow."

Max quietly snorted at that. "Yeah, I bet." She said under her breath. "I would love to hear how he spins this."

"So is that all that's bugging you? Having me for an older brother And a younger brother? And he does not look like a drag queen. You are making that up."

"Hey, I was still born first." Dean said with a laugh. "And I'm not making it up. You'll see. So Dad wants us there first thing in the morning."

"I bet. " Sam said. "He never liked it when we didn't meet his schedule. Of course if he was delayed…" Sam said rolling his eyes. "But I guess he isn't hunting anymore. He's too old."

"That's what he said." Dean said with a shrug. "But I guess we're back on his schedule. His house is big. Even has a housekeeper. So I guess we don't have to pick up our room anymore."

"Yeah cause that will ever happen in Dad's house." Sam said with a laugh. "He better not try and make us dress up all the time just cause he has a big house and everything now… cause that just isn't gonna happen. "

Alec watched the boys, very much sharing Max's opinions, but he knew they couldn't force the issue. "We'll keep an eye on them and him. Things get too creepy we'll pull them out of there. Whether they like it or not."

"Finally a word or two of sense from you." Max said as she pulled her knees up to her chest and watched the boys along with Alec. "Just going to tough figuring out the keeping an eye on them part."

"When I saw him he was in sweat pants." Dean said. "So that's something at least, right?"

"Yeah it's something." Sam said, then yawned hugely. He was tired, and it had been an exciting day. "It feels like it did the first day we were here, ya know? Everything is turned topsy turvy again."

"But, hey, no matter what, I'll take care of you." Dean said as he found blankets and covered Sam up on the couch. "Get some sleep, I'm right behind you." It had been an exhausting day. Dean was utterly drained.

"I know you will, Dean." Sam said as he closed his eyes. Tomorrow, life would be back to normal. Or at least as normal as it could be for Winchesters. Winchesters didn't do normal. Not really. "Love you Dean."

Dean tucked his brother in. "You too, dude." He said.

Max watched and finally got up and walked out into the hallway, dragging Alec with her as she took out her cell phone and called John Winchester's number.

"I need to speak with John Winchester." She said. "Tell him it's 452."

The housekeeper went up into the rooms that John was preparing for his sons. "It's 452, sir. She wants to speak to you."

John's blood ran cold. His first thought was that the creature was keeping his sons from coming to him. He hoped not. He didn't want his boys to see what he would do to her if that was the case.

He nodded to the house keeper and took a deep breath before going to the phone "How can I help you, 452?" He asked, keeping his voice level and calm.

"They're coming back to you tomorrow, against our better judgement." She said. "It's been twenty seven years for you, so listen up. Dean feels pain. He denies it, but it hurts. He whines for hours about stubbing his toes, but he'll hide an infected gun shot wound until he's delirious. He's allergic to penicillin, he says he wasn't before, but apparently thirty years later, our penicillin is different some how." She said and took a deep breath. "Sam likes to read. He's halfway through Great Expectations. He also likes chess. And he has a stuffed animal that I gave him, he likes it, so even though it's from me, don't toss it. Dean gets bored easily sitting still, but likes TV. Especially reruns of shows that were on years ago. He's got a thing for Home Improvement, I think it's because of the Tool Time Girls. Sam isn't as much for TV, but if Dean is watching it, he'll watch it with him. Everything is lined with salt. They go to church to steal holy water, not really sure if that's a sin or not. Sam doesn't much care for raviolis, but loves spaghetti." She took a shaky breath. Dean's trying to date, Sam thinks girls and kissing are icky. Dean won't go to sleep until his brother is asleep, I'm not sure how they'll do in separate rooms, because Sam gets up in the middle of the night and immediately looks for his brother. They're both leery of doctors." She looked at Alec. "Did I forget anything?"

Alec took the phone. "Manticore is after them." He said "Lydecker is trying to rebuild his stock and wants to go back to the original human DNA to do that. He's a madman and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I know you can protect them, but you need to know exactly what you are up against." He told the man.

John listened silently as 494 gave him the run down on Lydecker's operation. Not sure which surprised him more, the fact that they were acting as though they genuinely cared, or that they were letting his boys return without a fight.

"Dean is brilliant, just as smart as Sam any day of the week. But he doesn't like to show it, so don't believe him when he plays dumb. Usually it's to make Sam step up and show how smart he is. They are independent, strong, and scared as hell right now. This is the second time in less than a year the world has shifted on its axis for them. Don't expect them to settle in right away. "

"I know my own sons." John said.

"So do we." Alec told him. "We're not your enemy. I don't know what happened between you and Manticore. I don't know why you hate us all so much. I don't care why. We aren't your enemy unless you make it that way. These boys are like family to us."

"You'll get over it."

Max grabbed a handful of her own hair and pulled it. Hard. Because simply biting her tongue would not do. She wouldn't say anything that would alienate the boys. But that, that was just uncalled for. You'll get over it.

All of Max's family that she had shuttled out of the city and to other places, she did so they could be safe. She wasn't doing that with Sam and Dean. She was convinced she wasn't sending them anywhere to be safe.

"Dean's resourceful." She said, taking the phone back. "And one hell of a scam artist, which by the way, we didn't teach him." That was all John Winchester. "And he's got a temper he's bottling up." She could tell. Because he reacted the same way as Alec did when Alec was bottling things up. Now, after Berrisford, she knew the signs. "Just....just take care of them, okay?"

"I have no intention of doing otherwise. " He said calmly. "I appreciate the gesture you are making. Says you do care enough about them that you aren't going to start a war over them. Or maybe that you care enough about yourselves. I don't know. Either way, you are to stay away from my boys. I don't want your kind anywhere near them. And even if for some strange reason you aren't the monsters you were created to be, you are dangerous to be around. So if you care about them, you will stay clear from now on."

"Where do you want to meet?" Max asked numbly, ignoring the tears. "Manticore is still out there after them, we'll need to hand them off. Do I have your word that we won't be attacked if we make sure they get to you safely?"

"I have no intention of doing otherwise." He said calmly. "I appreciate the gesture you are making. Says you do care enough about them that you aren't going to start a war over them. Or maybe that you care enough about yourselves. I don't know. Either way, you are to stay away from my boys. I don't want your kind anywhere near them. And even if for some strange reason you aren't the monsters you were created to be, you are dangerous to be around. So if you care about  
them, you will stay clear from now on."


	8. New Lives

Authors' Note:: We'll tell you a secret. We feed off reviews. The more constructive reviews a story gets, the more we work on them. Keep telling us what you like!

Alec packed up the kids' things and piled them into a car he had borrowed for the occasion. "Okay, you guys ready for this?" He asked. "Not too late to back out. We can head up to Canada on a vacation. Not like Dean here can't forge us a few passports." He said, half teasing.

"Dude, I could do that in my sleep. Why don't you challenge me once in a while?" Dean teased back as they loaded into the car. "It'll be all right." Dean assured Alec. "And if it's not, we'll just come crash whatever party you happen to throwing and leech off you for a while."

"Any time." Alec said. "You know where to find us." He didn't want to do it, but he started the car, and began the drive to John Winchester's home. "And you never know when we are going to need a good forger so...keep your skills up." He figured the kid would need to have them at optimum if he was going to run from a father who worked for the CIA. Alec had no doubt this would end eventually with a lot of running.

"And we promise we won't tell." Dean said as he gave Alec directions. The houses got nicer and nicer, until they were pretty much pre-pulse neighborhoods. "It's that one on the left." He said as he took a deep breath. "Ready, Sammy?"

"No, but I don't want to wait either." Sam said honestly. The whole idea of his dad as an old man was really kinda scary. It meant he would die sooner rather than later… or rather that for their dad it was later.

Alec pulled the car into the long driveway and parked near the front steps. John Winchester stepped out of the front door and watched as Alec stepped out of the car. He had been able to look at the picture in terms of the abstract but this was the living, breathing copy of his oldest son. It disgusted him. Dean had been a product of love. His and Mary's. Something ordained, chosen and given freely to each other. This creature that wore his son's adult face was nothing more  
than Frankenstein's monster.

Dean got out and started unloading stuff. It wasn't much, but it was stuff that he and Sam had gotten attached to. He waved at his dad. "That's him." He said to Sam. "Thanks, Alec. You know, for...well....everything."

David stood behind his father. "Did you really grant amnesty to that thing?"

"Until it's out of sight of the boys. What you do to it after that I don't rightly care, so long as Dean and Sam don't find out it was you." He said quietly. Then he smiled brightly and went to greet his sons.

"Any time, man." Alec told Dean, and reached out to shake his hand and pull him into a brotherly hug. "Gonna miss you, but hey, I can pick up the slack on your corner." He teased. Make it light. Keep it light. Then he could process it later, not in front of the kids.

"Dad!" Sam said and hurried to hug his father, before he could disappear again.

"I'll be in touch." Dean said, quietly enough that Alec couldn't hear, and nodded, grabbing his bag and heading over to his father. "Well, here we are." He said. It was a bit uncomfortable.

John closed his arms around Sam a moment, then reached out for Dean pulling him in as well. "Finally, you boys are home. I have waited so long for this." He said. "Come on, let's get you settled in. I have your rooms all ready for you."

"We settle in pretty quick, recent old habits for us." Dean said with a quirk of a grin. Wasn't that long ago for them that they were bouncing between motel rooms after all. He looked back at Alec with a sad smile, but let himself be led inside.

David approached the transgenic. "You heard what my father said. Any contact, even surveillance, and all bets are off." So this is what Dean would look like if he managed to grow up. He could see why it affected his father. His father's dead wife's eyes were in this thing. Her coloring. Sandeman designed him even down to the freckles that Mary and Dean shared.

"So you are Sam's clone huh. Gotta say, Dean got the better looking genes. All things being equal. So what did they put in your cocktail. You don't seriously believe you are just a straight up clone, do you?" Alec said. He hoped the personality wasn't genetic. Otherwise someone was going to need to kick Sam's ass later in life.

David moved closer. He was broader across the shoulders and chest than Alec, and had a good four or five inches in height on him. "They didn't need to add anything to my genes." He said, his tone perfectly echoing his father's quietly dangerous tones. "It's time for you to leave."

"Someone's a might touchy." Alec said with a grin. Not the least bit intimidated. He opened his car door and paused. "Winchester has the real thing back now." Alec told him. "Somehow… I think if anything happened to those boys… I'm gonna be second in line to kick your ass. But I'll be there. Don't ever doubt it." He got into the car and closed the door.

David didn't move from his post until after the freak had pulled out and started down the street. He went back into the house, where it was a little uncomfortable. They were all still feeling their way around each other as they were shown to rooms to drop their stuff off.

"So does Sammy have a school yet?" Dean asked. Sam worried so much about that, Dean couldn't care less if he went.

John smiled. Still looking out for Sammy. "I will have you both in school in a couple weeks. I have a tutor arranged to come in and catch you up on things. Don't want any awkward moments for you two. It's one thing to pull off changing schools every few weeks and fake your way through it. It's completely different to fake your way through the world as it stands now."

"We're pretty caught up." Dean said. Logan had been good for that, catching them up on all the 'current' events from 1993 until today. "In fact, Sam here, he's an expert at US history." Dean said with a grin. "He can recite the Emancipation Proclamation and the Economic Salvage Treaty of 2015." He personally didn't want to go to school. He didn't feel like a normal kid, and he was pretty sure he'd never use it to begin with. It would be a private school, which meant a lot of stuck up rich kids, when just last month Dean was scraping to get by on his wits and manipulative charm.

"Then I can arrange for school to start on Monday. " John said with a proud glint in his eyes. "So, tell me what you two have been doing since you woke up?" He asked. "How have you been surviving out there?" He wanted to know everything.

"We squatted." Dean said. He didn't mind telling his dad about his 'job.' His father had taught him after all. "I forged sector passes, passports, identities, you name it. Pulled in some great cash that way, we set up the apartment real nice, video games and a TV and everything."

John nodded. "Makes sense." He said. "Glad those skills I taught you came in handy."

"You taught them to break the law?" David asked. "You get on me for parking tickets." He said with a forced laugh.

"Times were different, David." John said. "Very different. I was different." He said.

"We lived in the Impala." Sam said. "We slept in hotel rooms but we lived in the car. Always moving from school to school, sometimes only staying a couple weeks at a time. Hard to keep a job that way." There was still some resentment in Sam for that, but he didn't have it in him to complain about it when they had just been reunited. "Things were definitely different."

"Wasn't so bad." Dean said. "We got to see a lot of cool places, met some interesting people." He shrugged. "But it was definitely different."

David shook his head, he didn't understand that part of his father, and probably never would. But now there were walking reminders of that life in the house, and David really didn't appreciate that. "Well, I'm just glad I'm living this life." He said.

"Me too." Sam said with a smile, more than willing to accept this older version of himself as a brother. They had accepted Alec, after all. "Are you in college?" He asked. "Do you love to read as much as I do? Dean likes it too, he just pretends he doesn't. "

"I've got my bachelor's." David said. "Half way through law school right now. And I love to read, came in handy for college, let me tell you." Law was his father's dream, and David followed it dutifully. It wasn't so bad, he didn't hate it.

"Wow." Dean said. "Law school. Dad must be proud." Dean wasn't sure he'd have the initiative to get out of high school at this point.

"That's really cool. " Sam said with a smile. "I don't know that I would want to be a lawyer, but it's really cool. I don't know what I want to do yet other than go to school. I like school. What was your favorite subject?"

John laughed. "You've done it now." He said, delighted in how little had changed. "You are never going to get him to shut up now, and he will be asking you questions until the cows come home. Have you boys had breakfast? Mrs Evans is prepared to make waffles this morning."

"I can always eat again." Dean said with a grin. "Waffles sound good."

David had a near panicked look on his face. This kid would keep talking to him? But he had to make an effort for his father. "Uh....history." David said. "In high school at least. Now I like studying the Constitution. It's amazing how many loopholes our forefathers left us."

"It's probably because they weren't issues at the time it was created. Not like they had to worry about a lot of the things we have to worry about." Sam said. "Not that I know that much about it but it makes sense to me that way anyway.

John led the way to the kitchen which had a breakfast nook attached to it, where he took a seat. "Mrs Evans, these are my other sons, Dean and Sam." He said, introducing them. "And they are very much interested in breakfast this morning."

The woman smiled and nodded to them. "They look like they could use a few good breakfasts. Not to worry. There will be plenty of time to fatten them up." She said with a maternal twinkle in her eyes. "Now do I break out the fruit and whipped cream or do I warm the syrup?" She asked as she started gathering ingredients.

"Syrup." Sam said with a grin, pausing in his long string of questions to David long enough to answer. "So has Dad ever taken you out on one of his… road trips?" He asked, not knowing if the housekeeper knew anything about their past or not.

"That's all behind him now." David said. "No need for road trips." He knew what Sam was talking about. But John had learned to accept the truth.

Dean looked at his father. "So you're not looking for it at all?" He said. "How can you not look for it?" Meaning the demon that had killed their mother.

"Things change, son. I hope that over time you will come to understand the truth about things, but no, I don't hunt the demon any longer. You can speak freely in front of Mrs Evans. She knows all about my past."

Sam looked at Dean confused now. This didn't sound like their dad at all.

Dean stared at his father, and then looked at Sam, then back at their father. Confused hurt washing across his face. "The truth? The truth is that son of a bitch killed our mother." He said and stood up. "I'm not hungry. I'm going to my room." He didn't understand. And if understanding made his attitude like his father's, he didn't want to understand.

Sam started to get up to follow but John held up his hand. "Sam, you stay here. He needs time to sort it out for himself."

"No, he doesn't." Sam said as he got up any way and followed after his brother. The last thing Dean needed right then was time alone to think too much and Sam knew it.

David watched them go and waited until they were out of the room and headed up stairs. "How are we going to handle this one?" David asked. "They've been brainwashed, and unfortunately, they were brainwashed by you."

"I know." John said with a sigh. "I think in the end we may have to separate them. I don't want to do that, but it might be the only way to salvage Sam. Dean, it might be too late. We'll give it time. But for now, we need to make sure they don't run away."

"I thought Dean was important to the end game as well?" David said. "Maybe we should just break him then retrain him." He didn't have the emotional connection that John had. Up until recently, they were just mythical brothers featured in long ago stories. "If his importance has been overstated, then maybe we should cut him loose or, you know, just...." He wasn't going to say it. At the last moment, he decided it was a bad idea to suggest disposing of Dean.

"He is important. But he will do what he needs to do, regardless of whether or not he is a believer. He will do it to save and protect his brother." John said. "But they need to go through the ritual regardless. Even if reluctant. It's the only way to awaken what's within them."

"Can they go through the ritual without the training first?" David asked. "I remember all the preparation I went through." And under heavy objection at that, because he was a clone. But his father had prevailed on that subject.

"It decreases the chance of survival if there aren't preparations made. So let's hope it doesn't come to that. But it just might. Sam I think we have a chance with. Dean will be more difficult. " Sam had been chosen already. David was impressive with his abilities. Sam might even exceed him as he had already been christened by the demon in his nursery.

David felt sorry for his father. This was his own doing, his father had trained his eldest son that way, he was responsible for all the wrong propaganda in the boy's head. And now it was backfiring on him. "Sam's a smart kid, how about that school you sent me to outside Boston? It's a great opportunity." And it would separate the brothers.

"If Dean can't come to terms, then I think it might be for the best." John said sadly. He would be losing them both again that way. It would break his heart. He didn't know if it would recover this time. "For now, let's try and keep hopeful about it." He got to his feet. "Please continue making breakfast. The boys will be down shortly." He said, and headed upstairs to speak with his sons.

Dean was sitting quietly on his bed, Sam sitting just as silently next to him. He only had one picture of his mother, and it was his mother's senior year book picture. Logan had found it on line for him and printed it out. Back against the headboard, knees bent, he just sat there staring at it as he heard his father come in. "I didn't mean to interrupt breakfast." He said quietly.

"It's alright. She is still cooking. We can go back down stairs and join David shortly." John said as he took a seat on the bed as well. "I know this is all a shock for you, but in time I hope you will understand it all. It's important to me… to us as a family… that you understand it." And accept, but acceptance he didn't figure would happen any time soon.

Dean nodded, still staring at the picture. "It's been longer for you." He said. "I still remember the fire. Sam was too little, and it's been longer for you, but I still remember. All the time." He said with a shudder at the memory. He'd seen more than he ever told his father. "It's like you've forgotten about her. I don't want to forget about her."

"I haven't forgotten about her, son. I could never forget your mother. I loved her more than life. I still do." He said. "But  
sometimes you have to let go of the vengeance… let go of the anger… because other things are more important. I lost sight of the things that were most important and that cost me your mother, and later you. Things aren't always as they seem, son."

"Okay." Dean said. "Do you have any pictures of her? I was only able to find this one from high school." He said, showing him the picture of a young, eighteen year old Mary. "I promise I'll try to keep that in mind, and, I don't know, broaden my horizons or whatever."

"I have one or two that I was able to salvage from the house once they let me back inside. " He said quietly. "Most of them were destroyed. Ruined by the water damage while they were putting out the fire." His eyes were sad, filled with guilt. Very much the expression they remembered growing up. "But, let's go downstairs and finish breakfast. Then we'll dig out old pictures and things. I even have pictures of you two around."

Dean nodded. He recognized that look on his father's face. That he was expected to do something, and to just not argue about it. So he put his mother's picture carefully away. "Come on, Sam. Waffles are waiting."

Sam was more subdued during breakfast, feeding off of Dean's mood. He could sense it, even though Dean did his best to hide it. Their father was different, but he was still their father, and Sam didn't know how to deal with this new version anymore than Dean did.

"I have a meeting to go to this afternoon. I'm going to send you two out with Mrs. Evans to do a little shopping. Pick up a few things for school, maybe some things you want for your rooms." He told them. "Because of Manticore hunting for you, I've arranged for a security detail to go with you."

Max watched Alec as he leaned against the counter in her apartment. She'd just broken him out of jail. Did she believe he could commit cold blooded murder? Yes she could. He admitted himself he was trained as an assassin and had gone on several assassination jobs. But what he was accused of, he didn't do. She knew that for fact.

Because Ben did it.

"So, Logan's fine." She said. "Joshua gave him some blood, worked well."

"Glad to hear it." Alec said. He supposed he was. He didn't want the guy dead after all. He wasn't that jealous. But right then he was hurt. He liked to blame it on the fact that he was dealing with his own special brand of PTSD. He had allowed himself to be taken prisoner rather than fight. Not because he wanted to be, but because he would have had to kill them to get away. He risked White coming after him. Risked Lydecker coming for him again, to avoid killing. Yet Max  
thought he could kill for no reason what so ever. She honestly thought that about him. And she had almost left him to his fate too. She could do that. It ate at him. He didn't meet her eyes. He didn't want to see what was there. "Once things calm down, I'll head off to Canada." He said quietly.

"Alec, come on." She said as she cleaned up the small kitchen, after changing into sweats. "Look, I'm sorry. I nearly killed Logan today. Just because he grabbed my arm. I was freaked, and worried, and....." she sighed. "You got the worst of it. Okay, I admit it. When my inner bitch comes out, sometimes it just radars in on you. I didn't really mean most of what I said. I did mean it when I told you to shut up when I was trying to sneak you out." She said with a weak smile.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to let them take me and lock me in a cage?" He asked. "Do you have any idea how easy it would have been for me to kill them and leave? Do you have any idea what it was like sitting there wondering if it was going to be White or Lydecker that was going to get to me first?" Or how much he hoped it was White. "If I were a cold blooded killer, why wouldn't I kill to prevent that from happening? "

"I said I was sorry!" Max said. "But come on, give me a break right? I'm pleading extenuating circumstances."

"Yeah." He said. "Fine. Extenuating circumstances." He would let it go. Like he let everything else go. But he was getting tired of letting go. He ran his hand through his hair. "So, what do I do now?" He asked, changing the subject. "They are going to be looking for me."

"Maybe you could hole up with Joshua." Max suggested. "Look, you want a honest reason? Fine. I look at you, and I see Ben. And Ben was capable of cold blooded murder. We both know that, we've got the pictures. He...." she paused and swallowed. "I killed him." She said quietly, looking at the stained and chipped counter top. "So, I guess I am too."

"I'm not Ben." He said quietly. "And you aren't a killer. You may have killed but you aren't a killer." He said. He knew the difference. He was one. But he wasn't the sort of monster his clone had turned into. He had killed as a soldier. Killed to survive. But never out of meanness or malice. He didn't believe Max was capable of it either.

"I know you're not Ben." She said. "But some things, you just can't shake, no matter how hard you try. It was a year ago today I killed him, you know. He broke his leg, and Manticore was surrounding us. I couldn't get him out of there....so I had him tell me about the Good Place. Where no one's punished. Where no one disappears. And then I snapped his neck. And I left him there."

Alec moved behind Max and slid his arms around her, holding her close to him. "You did what you had to do." He told her softly. "I know it hurts you still…but you didn't have a choice. It would have been far worse if he had been captured by Manticore… and you couldn't bring him back to the real world. Not as mad as he was."

"He asked me to." Max said, starting to sob from the memory. She had a great memory. And days like this, it was a curse as she remembered the scene far too clearly. "He asked me to kill him and I did." She sniffled. "It's not your fault, Alec. It's really not, just today was a really, really bad day to deal with all this."

"It's okay." He said softly. "I understand." He turned her to face him and pulled her back into his arms, stroking her hair as she cried. "It's gonna be okay." He said. He just held her, caressing, soothing, not asking anything of her, not pushing her to stop crying. Just giving comfort.

She cried for a bit, longer than she wanted to, but finally pulled away and wiped her face. "Coffee?" She offered. "And Alec, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, coffee sounds good." He said. "And it's okay. Don't worry about it." He meant it this time. It was okay. Maybe now things would move on. Maybe she would stop seeing him as a snake in the grass waiting to strike. He was tired of being the villain.

She nodded and started to fix the coffee. "I told Logan I couldn't see him anymore." She confided. "I can't risk it. Ever. I mean, if I swallow wrong, and start coughing....if he's near by, I could kill him. Just like that."

"That's gotta be rough." He said, knowing how much Max and Logan had loved each other. He didn't know how she had been able to handle it as long as she had. It would be maddening to him. But Max was funny. Strong in so many ways, and still a confused little girl in others.

"It's for the best." Max said with a shrug as she handed him a mug of coffee. "So any word from Sam and Dean yet?" In her opinion, they'd handed the boys off to a mad man. And it couldn't have a happy ending.

"No." Alec said with a frown. That worried him. He hoped they would be able to contact him and let him know they were alright, but then maybe no news was good news. "Probably still getting settled in. I didn't like this so called brother of theirs. His eyes are… cold."

"Cold?" Max said. "This is the Sammy clone, right? Nothing like inviting a viper right into your house. Think he's a danger?"

"Yes and no." He said. "I think he will obey Winchester for now. As long as their father wants them safe and sound, I think David will tow the line. But the moment he doesn't… the moment he shows the first weakness… I think David will become a threat."

"Maybe we can plant listening devices in his house." Max said, then immediately rejected it. "Never mind. He's a paranoid son of a bitch, probably sweeps the house every hour for them. Guess we just have to wait it out then."

"We wait it out." Alec said, as much as he hated it. He had a bad feeling about it, but the moment Dean had walked up to the mans door, the situation had been taken out of their hands. "In the mean time… we have to figure out how to fix this mess that I am in. I will go stir crazy if I have to stay inside anywhere for that long."

"I'll see what I can figure out." Max said. She'd have to go to Logan to get some help. Which should be interesting. "But let's get you moved into Joshua's."

Alec nodded. "Right. Back to Joshua's. Hey at least he's entertaining with the painting and all." He said. "He really gets into it." He added with a faint chuckle, he was more worried about all of this than he was letting on. Worrying about it wouldn't solve anything so he simply went with the flow, letting Max do what she figured she could do.

"Hopefully it won't be for too long." She said. "I'll get this figured out somehow." She said as she rinsed out the cups. "Come on, let's go." She said with a laugh. "OC is supposed to be swinging by with her latest girl, I think her name is Nicole. You really don't want to be here for girl time." She said with a grin.

"I don't know… girl time could be a lot of fun to be around for… " he said with a grin of his own. "Except I am betting OC would probably make sure I didn't enjoy it … ever." He added and started to walk toward the door.

"She definitely would." Max said with a laugh as she walked him out. "So, you know, thanks. For letting me vent." She said as they stepped out of the building.

Alec slipped his arm around her shoulders. "What are friends for?" He said. "Letting you vent… and bringing you burgers..." he said, dropping a hint about what he wanted for dinner.

Neither of them saw Logan's car, or the man standing next to it. He had come to see if he could talk some sense into Max. Maybe renew her faith in their relationship, talk her into hanging on for just a little while longer. It broke his heart to see them walking away together… touching. But he said nothing. He did nothing but get back into his car, and drive away. It was over. She had told him it was over. Now he had to accept that.

Max didn't see Logan as she playfully shoved Alec away. "God, you're such a mooch. Fine, burgers." She said with a laugh. "I'll see you later." She said. She went to look up some sources she had. One was in jail. Two had skipped town. Which left just one that could make the documentation for her. This was going to suck as she snuck into Logan's penthouse. Maybe she'd just be able to whip up some herself, Dean had used his equipment at times. How hard could it be?

"I'll do it for you." He said. "You'll want a passport or something showing that Alec was out of the area at the time or they could still claim it's him." She cared for Alec. Alec wasn't as bad as all of that anyway. It was the least he could do. They both helped him when he needed it. He needed to be a man about this not a whining lovesick school boy. He could do that.

Max backed up away from the computer, leaving Logan lots of space. "Thank you." She said. "Did you see about that transgenic killed today by the sector cops? We've been outed. Well, the less than human looking ones have at any rate."

"Yeah I saw. I've been paging you all day." He said as he worked. "Wanted to talk to you, but apparently you were busy." He took his frustrations out on the keyboard. He didn't want to get mad, he really didn't. He wanted to rise above the emotions and let it go. It wasn't working.

Max pursed her lips and exhaled. "You know what? I think I'm going to go." She said as she took the necklace she borrowed from Joshua and hung it on Logan's white board. Drawing an arrow to it from the Manticore side, and the breeding cult side. The imprint on the pendant exactly matched the scar on her hand left by the ceremonial knife, a pendant given to Joshua from Sandeman. "Just thought I'd whip up an alibi for Alec and bring you the pendant. You know, call me when they're done, or whatever."

"What pendant?" Logan asked as he moved over to the white board. "Where did you get this?" He asked looking it over.

Max backed up when he came over. "Joshua had it. Said Sandeman gave it to him." She said. "So Sandeman was apparently part of the cult at one point, which explains his interest, kinda, in the Winchesters, and the fact that Alec has Dean's genes."

Logan poured himself a drink. "This really is a big news day." He said. "Maybe I ought to do an Eyes Only hack." He found himself sinking deeper into sulking love sick teenager mode, and there wasn't much he could do about it. He had figured she was afraid of hurting him and that was why she had dumped him. Now he was starting to realize it was Alec.

Always Alec.

Max scoffed. "And tell the world what? That the government made us? Or maybe some of us look like them, so they should be understanding and patient?" Max said as she watched Logan pour a second drink. "Just sober up first. Look, I'm gonna go."

Logan moved in front of the door to block her exit, moving each time she did to halt her in her tracks. He wanted her to stay, needed her to stay. The world wasn't making sense to him without her and he didn't know how to get it back on track again. He had done it before, but he didn't know if that was possible this time.

"Cut it out!" Max said. "I've said all I need to say." She said, still trying to get beyond him without touching him.

"I could keep you here all night." He said. "Or at least until I drop dead." This was the hard part. The part where he had to make himself bring it up. "Besides, I think there's something else… or is it some ONE else."

"Logan. Let it go." Max said. "We're over. That's it, we're just over."

"I needed to talk to you and I came by your place. I saw him leaving. I-I mean if I got it wrong … just say so." Please say so. Anyone but Alec. "Tell me it's not true."

That threw Max. He'd seen her and Alec and automatically assumed they were together. She didn't remember having sex with Alec, not to mention out in the open, and she felt a flash of anger at that. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"I can't." She said. "We're over. Get used to it." She snapped. He was shocked enough that she was able to move around him, and slammed the door as she left his penthouse.

Logan drew a deep breath, let it out slowly and downed his drink. This was going to be a long night, he thought as he went back to the computer to finish the birth certificate and pass port for Alec. Because if he didn't, Max would do something stupid, and it would be his fault.

Three days later, Ames White called John Winchester. "Do you have your boys?" He asked.

"I do." He said. "You? I assumed that's why you haven't been able to be reached lately." John wondered what was going on. "Or are we still on the man hunt?"

"He's sleeping in the back seat." Ames said, glancing back at his son with a smile. He'd had to kill the people who had Ray, but thankfully, Ray was asleep during it. "I've got orders to bring Manticore to the fore front. I've had media clips slipped to the right sources, but now I'm to appear in front of Congress about Manticore. I'm on my way to the airport right now. Just wanted to make sure you have your sons before I drive the freaks underground, or better yet, hunted like the deformed animals they are."

"Good." John said. "That will give us license to do what we need to do in the public instead of covertly. We have to rid the world of them before the coming storm."

"We performed an experiment. That transgenic that was killed in front of the hoverdrones? We cut him with the knife." Ames said. "He survived. Had symptoms, but survived. We can assume that Sandeman perverted our traditions with his experiments. That might be one reason why he wanted your children."

"Then they have to be eliminated. If they are immune then they will hold the key to saving everyone else that is unworthy." He said with a sigh. "This is not good. If it was just 452, that would be one thing. Making them public will drive them to ground. It will make them harder to find. But it will keep them out of our hair at least."

"It will whip up hysteria and panic. Especially when I reveal the X series." Ames said as he drove. "The people won't know who to trust, who's a freak and who's not....the general public will do our work for us. We haven't had a good lynching in ages."

"It's as good a plan as any." John said. "I have to go. I am driving the boys to school this morning. Once Sam has acclimated, we'll introduce him to your son." Dean was the most difficult one at the moment, but he wasn't fighting much either. John still held out hope, but it was a thin and frail hope. Still. He had his boys home.

"Good luck with your boys." Ames said. "I'll be in DC with Ray if anything comes up."

John ended the call and hung up the phone. "Boys, you ready? It's time to go." He called up the stairs. Sam was usually ready and, even if not excited every day, he was willing and happy to go. Dean was his problem child. He had never enjoyed school. Now he seemed to positively hate it.

Dean came down the stairs with his brother. His brother nearly bounded down the stairs. Dean skulked down them, as if he'd rather go to his execution. It was some weird ass prep academy, where they learned a dead language along with geometry. Frankly, Dean hated both.

He saw the look on his father's face, and gave him a likely excuse. "It's a boys' school." He said, sulking. "You make me wear this ridiculous uniform and there's not even a girl in a short skirt in sight."

John chuckled. "I survived an all boys' school. And I still met and married your mother." He said. "Don't worry, there is plenty of time for girls. Lots of opportunity still." If all went well, they had a girl lined up for him already. But it had to appear natural with Dean. There were ways around his co-operation in the cult. And so long as his son wound up in love and happy, he was willing to use those methods.

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm entering the prime of my dating years. And the only women around are Mrs Evans and a librarian that makes her look like a sweet young thing. I'mbeing tortured." He said with a melodramatic sigh as he headed to the car, his back pack slung over a shoulder. "You are so lucky you think girls have cooties, Sam. So you don't even know you're being tortured."

"You are 14. You don't have to worry about dating for another 2 years yet. " John said laughing as he got into the driver's seat of the Impala. "And soon enough, there will be parties and dances with the local girls' school. You'll do fine." He looked in the rear view mirror as he started the car. "How do you like it here?"

"It's okay. " Sam said. "There are a lot of interesting classes but the teachers keep looking at me funny. Like they expect me to be … I don't know… different or something. The kids are nice though."

"It's so embarrassing though. That Minoan class, I have to take it with first graders." Dean said. As did Sam, though he was moving beyond Dean in that regard. "Can I get a tutor or something for home, and not take that class in school? Please? I'm being humiliated every day! I promise I'll work with the tutor."

"I will speak with the principal and see what the school policy is. It's important for you to learn this, Dean. It truly is. I'm proud of you for sticking with it though." He glanced in the rear view mirror. "I'm going to start your martial arts classes on the weekends. I figure we can go to the shooting range too. Get back into the swing of things."

"Sounds good to me." Dean said. At least that was back to routine. That he was grateful for. "I have nothing against learning it. You made us learn Latin after all. I just don't want to take the class with first graders. They had to bring in special desk for me because I couldn't fit in theirs."

"I can understand how that would be embarrassing." John said as he pulled into the parking lot and turned the car off. He would go in and speak with the principal, see what could be done. He didn't want any negativity connected with this in Dean's mind. He was quick. He would pick it up better with the tutor anyway, he was sure. "I was thinking we could go grab something to eat when you get out of school today. Mrs Evans is convinced burgers will be the death of me."

Dean smiled. That would be good. He wanted to connect with his father again. But there was just too much he didn't understand. Things he couldn't figure out yet. "Well, she's wrong." Dean said. "Burgers are proof that God loves us or something." He said with a chuckle. He didn't necessarily believe in God, but he didn't necessarily not believe either. "Sound good, Sam?"

Sam walked with him silently. Life was different now. He had that normal life he wanted, or at least the illusion of it. But he knew it wasn't right. It was… off. "Dad's trying at least." He said quietly.

"Yeah, he's trying, but I don't know what he's trying for." Dean said with a frown. "We'll figure it out. Just always keep a bag packed, okay? Just in case."

"Mrs Evans goes through our stuff." Sam said. "We have to come up with a place to hide it." He told his brother. "Do you think Dad would get rid of her if we complained enough?" He asked hopefully.

"Okay, you're right. Just keep space in a drawer where you can grab stuff quickly." Dean said as they arrived as the first class. "I'm going to skip Minoan, make a point to Dad. I seriously hate the class. Besides, I'm 14 and still adjusting. I'm expected to misbehave."

Sam gave Dean a look "You're Dean, therefore you are expected to misbehave. It's genetic too cause Alec has the same problem." He said. "See ya at lunch." He told his brother before going into the classroom.

"See ya." Dean said. He attended his first two classes, then snuck out of the school. He even knew how to avoid the cameras. He got down the street and bought a phone from some guy on the corner and went into a pizzeria and called Alec. "Hey." He said. "I saw the news about that transgenic. You guys safe?"

"Hey! It's good to finally hear from you. Yeah, we're good. How are you two doing?" He asked, pulling over to the side of the road to talk. His delivery could wait. "We've all been worried about you."

"We're okay." Dean assured Alec. "Nothing too weird, except for the all boys' school. Dad's....well, we're all still adjusting. David's a fake, probably can't stand us, but smiles for Dad and avoids us the rest of the time, which is fine by me. Sam's loving the school, but he'd love any school. How are my customers doing?" He asked with a grin, knowing Alec had probably picked up the slack.

"They are doing fine. Spending their money as usual. So an all boys' school, huh? That has to suck rocks. And for the record, David looks like he loads lemons with steroids and sucks on them all day. Don't take him seriously." Alec said. "Seriously… he has that pouty, angry, girly face."

"I told Sam he looked like a drag queen, but he didn't believe me." Dean said with a laugh. "Listen, I heard Dad on the phone today, he was talking with White, they're not exactly buddies. He said he had to eliminate 'them' before the coming storm. I'm thinking 'them' is you guys, so just be careful. How's Max? You two patching things up yet? Or is she still with the tool?" Logan wasn't a bad guy. Just a little....well in all things, Dean would take Alec's side over Logan's.

"Max is fine. She and Logan aren't seeing each other any more, but she and I aren't seeing each other either. We're… friends." He said, even though he sometimes thought that maybe things would go a different direction. Then Max seemed to freeze him out.

"Don't give up, buddy. With a face like ours, what girl could resist?" Dean said with a laugh. "I gotta get back to class and ditch the phone. So just watch out, okay? I don't know what they're planning, I'm barely not sitting at the kids' table after all."

"You be careful. Call me again soon." He said. "We worry about you." Alec told him, wishing the call could be longer, that he could get more information about things where they were. Cults were insidious, and they knew of one private school already that had been made for the purposes of  
indoctrinating children.

"Right now, we're fine." Dean said. "Nothing to worry about. Just keep  
your head low, and do something about that bar code, okay? Don't need to see  
on the news that you've been picked up."

"I will, little brother. Don't worry about that." He told Dean. "Call me if you need me. And tell Sam … well… you know." Alec said with a smile.


	9. Dogma

Joshua was hurting. He had never thought that he could hurt this way again. He had felt something close to this when his father had left. But the pain of Annie's death was something new and it was overwhelming. The rage was overwhelming. He didn't like this world that Max had led him to. He didn't like it at all.

He tossed his things into a bag, others he tossed about the living room. Everything there reminded him of Annie. The time they had spent there.

"Hey Big Fella....." Max said as she came in, and trailed off as she saw what he was doing. "What's going on?" She asked. He was packing to leave. And it wasn't safe for him out there, especially now.

"Everything here reminds me of Annie. Alec says there are transgenics in Terminal City. Going there." He said as he continued to pack his things.

"Joshua, it's dangerous there." She said. "The place is rotting away from the radiation. Sure, it might not affect us, but it affects everything else. This is your home."

"Not home." Joshua said. "Not safe. " He grabbed his bag. "I can't stay here anymore, Max. Have to go." He knew she wouldn't understand. She could fit in, she could make herself safe. For a while. Maybe even the rest of her life, but Joshua would always be hiding. Always be waiting… always alone.

"Joshua, I can't look out for you there." She said, last ditch effort. "Come on, give me a day, I'll figure something out."

"Figure what, Max?" He asked. "New way to hide? New place to hide? New place to be alone? Others like Joshua are there. No one like Joshua here."

She looked at him forlornly. He'd decided. And there was no way to convince him. "I'll help you pack." She said quietly.

"Thank you." Joshua said, calming down a little. He had been going stir crazy there in the house. Only so long he could spend reading books. The boys being there had lightened his heart. But they were gone. And they were in a place that hated them. All of them. Annie had been good for him. Her blindness had allowed him to find companionship. But she  
was gone too.

Others like Joshua. Max sighed a bit. There were no others like Joshua. There might be another that looked as strange, and there were definitely some that looked stranger, but they'd all been hardened and jaded by life within the Manticore system. Doing what they were designed to do. She just didn't want him to get hurt any more than he already was.

"X series aren't as welcome there." She said. Because they looked so normal. She'd found that out when she'd went to hide Sam there. "But I'll come visit when I can."

"Thanks little fella." Joshua said "Joshua will miss Max and Alec…but is better to go. Better for everyone." No one else could get killed by White because of him. No one else would scream at the sight of him or try and hurt him.

"I know." Max said as she started putting things he'd need or want into bags. "Okay, so we'll get you set up, I'll still bring your paints there."

Joshua nodded. "Gonna be fine, you'll see. Be fine." He said, wishing he could take his friends with him. He didn't think it was safe for them out there at all. No matter how much they looked like the ordinaries.

"Dean calls when he can." Which wasn't as much as Alec would have liked. "I'll tell him you said hi. You're right, it'll be fine." Because there was no choice but to believe it would be.

"Hey you two." John said peeking his head in the bedroom door. They had separate rooms but they always seemed to be together. Not quite co-dependant, but it seemed awfully close. John didn't interfere because he knew that it would be necessary later for that closeness to be intact. "I need to talk to Dean for a minute. Why don't you head on down to the car? David's going to take you to school today. I'll bring Dean along later."

Dean watched as Sam left the room. "Uh oh, what did I get caught doing now?" He said lightly. He wasn't a 'bad' kid. He was a normal kid. Parents at the school had assured John that Dean's behavior was perfectly normal for a fourteen year old.

"Cutting class." John said with a chuckle. He knew it was normal. Especially for Dean. His own damned fault really. But that just meant it was up to him to straighten his son out. "I know it hasn't been as long for you as it has me. Things haven't really had a lot of time to sink in. But your future isn't out on the open road driving the Impala from one monster to the next, son." He tried to explain. "School is important now. Not merely to keep up appearances but because you have to plan for a life now. This is your first year of high school. What you do now determines what college you can get into… what sort of life you can make for yourself and your family when you have one." He had more practice doing the normal father things from his years with David.

"The only class I've cut is that class where I have to go to the elementary floor and sit next to kids that eat glue and talk about going pee pee." Dean said. "It's really the only class I hate. It's not the subject, it's the fact that it's with first graders, and I already told you that." To make matters worse, Sam was catching on quicker than Dean, and was moving up a level today. Which meant he was losing his one ally in that class.

"I understand that," he said with a smile, "I do. But this is important, son. I have arranged for a private tutor, I can help you with it, David can help you with it. I know you have a lot of catching up to do. This language is the basis of our religion. It's what our rituals are said in, it's what the original ancient texts were written in. You have to at least know enough to get through the initiation process, and you can't learn that if you don't go to class."

"I said I was open to a tutor and I'd work hard with the tutor." Dean said, frowning. "We have a religion? Really? Your dog tags said non denominational. And initiation? What find of initiation? You have to be initiated? Is this a religion or a fraternity?"

"I think maybe you and I should spend the day together. Take a drive, talk about things. One day away from school won't hurt. I need you to understand how things are and why they happened as they did. It's going to be hard for you, but I think in time you will understand." David wasn't so confident. But then, David was a pessimist.

"So my punishment for cutting class is to skip a whole day?" Dean said with a laugh. "You're on. I like this brand of parenting, I really do. But I think it would be great. So today? Is it going to be a cool drive with a lot of lectures?"

"Lots of lectures." John said with a low rumbling laugh. "You won't like them a bit. You won't like the burger joint we stop at for lunch and you definitely won't like the drive. It's punishment. Really it is." He teased.

"Keep telling yourself that." Dean said as he got up and grabbed his jacket. "Come on, waiting on you. Let the punishment begin. Does David know? Because I don't want Sam looking for me and not seeing me. He'll freak if he doesn't see me all day."

"David knows." John said, as he followed his son. Dean was looking forward to this, but he didn't think it would go smoothly. It was too ingrained in his son to hate all things supernatural. He had done that to them. Undoing it was going to be tantamount to reprogramming. "We'll be back in time for dinner." He told his son as he got into the driver's seat of the Impala.

"Okay." Dean said. At least Sam knew, so his younger brother wouldn't worry. He watched the scenery pass by, this was a nice neighborhood. Like Stepford nice. "So what are we going to talk about?" John wasn't a big talker. At least last Dean knew. And Dean wasn't a big talker, unless he was trying to talk to a girl.

"Our religion. What it means for your future, our future." John said honestly. "I figured maybe it would be better to have that talk someplace familiar…" he said meaning the car. Most of the boys' lives was spent in this car. It was a security blanket of sorts to his oldest boy. It seemed the logical place to start it all.

Dean looked at his father carefully. "What do you mean, my future?" Dean asked. "You better not have volunteered me to be a priest or anything. I"m telling you right now, celibacy is something I know I won't do well with." His father was so....intent. It made a chill travel up his spine, even as he covered it with light words.

John chuckled. "Nothing like that." He said. "I don't know if they have covered much at the school yet. But what do you know about genetics… animal husbandry type stuff? Have they gotten you past the life span of a fruit fly and into why some kids get brown eyes when both parents have blue yet?"

"Yeah." Dean said. "I know all about how Sam got the dimples and I didn't, how I got Mom's eyes, but Sam didn't." Dean said. "Mom could have kept the freckles. And I already knew this is some sort of breeding organization." He wouldn't say the word cult. Oh, he believed it was a cult. But if his father thought he was softening up on that view, all the better.

"It started back on ancient Crete. That's why you are learning Minoan. You do understand that there are many gods, right? Not everything that isn't from heaven is a demon." He said, hoping to put that fear in his son to rest. "We don't worship a demon."

"All right." Dean said. "So you're part of a religion that worships many gods instead of one, and is filled with intricate and exacting rituals involving a dead language....why didn't we hear about this before? I mean, I was nearly five when Mom was killed, and this is the first I've heard of anything. Strange when everyone else in the school has started these types of classes from birth."

'Your mother didn't approve. I didn't find out until after well… after I had lost you boys… that she came from a family of hunters. She didn't approve of our little religion. I loved your mother enough that I gave it up. I walked away from it all." Which was ironic, since she had been chosen for him by the cult in the first place.

"No way. Mom was a hunter?" Dean asked, eyes wide. "Okay, so ten years later, after Sam and I laid down for our little nap, you....what? Found religion again? Why didn't you find it before that? Did you disagree with something?"

"I found out who took you, but I couldn't find him or the installation. Sandeman, the scientist behind your transgenic friends. He was at one time a high ranking member of the church, so to speak. I went back to find help in finding you. Before that I was too focused on killing the demon to see anything else. Including what it was doing to you boys."

"Dad, we were fine." Dean said. For the most part, that was even true. "But okay, I get that part. Now where does Darwin and Mendel fit into this? What, exactly, is this religion trying to breed? I hate the way that sounds, like we are fruit flies or something."

"What does anyone want to achieve when they start a breeding program? They want to encourage positive traits, weed out negative traits. The human mind and body are capable of so much more than anyone realizes. Even we don't know it's full potential. Obviously Sandeman didn't, because he had to turn the embryos into freaks with animal DNA. We believe that there is a coming disaster. A holocaust… I would have called it an apocalypse years ago. We are working to make a culture, and race if you will, that will survive what ever is coming."

"Why'd he take Sam and me?" Dean asked. "All the other kids in the cult, every where else, and he took us. He went to a lot of trouble too. I remember the scent of tear gas. And I woke up so sedated."

"I don't know, son." Now wasn't the time for that bit of truth. "We've been trying to sort that out for a long time. He cloned your brother, but not you… not directly anyway. There has to be something specific he was after, but we don't know what." If he had left it at an I don't know, Dean would never leave it rest. "I certainly don't understand why he left you in stasis all that time. I'm grateful he did, beats the alternative, but that doesn't mean I understand it."

"Weird, I haven't even had a date yet, and I'm basically the father of a whole race." Dean said with a chuckle. "We'll figure it out. Eventually. I don't know about this religion, it sounds like something from a horror movie, kinda. I mean all the secrecy and everything."

"I can see where it would. That's what your mother thought too. But Dean, there isn't anything evil about it. We aren't out to destroy the rest of humanity, there is no great take over the world plot." Not as such. Their goddess would take care of that all on her own. Transgenics were another matter entirely. They were the perversion of all that they believed. "I grew up in the faith, Dean. Your grandfather, and his father before him. So far back that I don't think we could trace it all."

"So what does the demon have to do with this?" Dean asked. "Why couldn't you do both? Return to the fold or whatever, and hunt the thing that killed Mom. That's what I'm not getting. I don't get it."

"Because looking for you boys was more important than looking for the demon." John said bluntly. "Some things are more important than revenge. I was obsessed with the demon, Dean. I wasn't thinking clearly. There is no way to even know if the demon was still on earth. For all I know, I'm chasing him down and some priest has already sent him to hell. It's been a long time, son. I had another boy to raise, alone. No one like you there to help me… you were always there for Sam when I needed you to be. Me too. I didn't see what I was doing to you boys at the time, but when you were gone I looked over it all … and I saw it. I didn't want to do that to another child."

"It wasn't that bad, Dad." Dean said. His father felt guilty over that, he could tell. So he was quick to reassure his father that it hadn't been that bad. "Most of the time, it was kinda cool to check out new places all the time. Meet new people. I really liked Bobby."

"I did too, son." He said. "Bobby was a good man. He loved you boys like you were his own." He had stayed in touch with Bobby and Jim because of their connection to the boys. Because they were always looking for them too. Losing them had been like losing the last of his sons.

Dean was silent for a moment, then nodded. He was still dealing with the blow of losing Bobby. Years ago too. He looked out the window at the passing scenery. "So what's really the point of this drive, Dad?" Dean asked. "Something's coming up, isn't it? That initiation thing you mentioned? That's where you cut me with a ceremonial knife and hope I don't die? How many times does someone die from this? Because I'm really not sure Sam should do it. Not if he could die."

"I don't think we have to worry about that with Sam." He said. "David survived, after all. And there aren't very many deaths. A lot of children become ill for a few hours. But if they are strong, they survive, and most are strong. A parent just never knows if their child is going to be one of those few that doesn't survive. You will survive, Son. I have faith in that. So will Sam. David didn't even get sick."

"I'll get sick." Dean said with a laugh. "I always get sick." Whatever was going on, he was always bound to catch it. Not that he took to a sick bed or anything, normally (back in the day) his father would give him adult Robitussin or Nyquil to keep him in bed. Or guilt him with Sam.

"But you'll come through it. You always do." John said, looking at his son. He pulled into the parking lot of a roadside café. The sort of place they used to go to eat all the time on the road. When they bothered to stop driving long enough to eat. "You're strong. Stronger than you realize."

They walked into the café and ordered the heart attack specials. Dean looked at his father, who was watching him carefully. "So every time you used holy water, it was a lie?" He asked. "Or recited some Native American ritual?"

"No, I believed they would work. I believe that other gods exist, Dean. If you remember I was never a church going man. Never took you boys either. Jim did, but I didn't see any harm in it. The world isn't all black and white, good and evil."

Dean sighed. "It makes more sense in black and white." Dean said. "So when does this initiation thing happen? After we learn Minoan? Because Sam's getting pretty awesome at it." He didn't like the sound of any of this. And was making plans to get in touch with Alec somehow.

"Soon." He said. "I need you to study hard with your tutor. You have any questions, anyone at home can answer it." He smiled. "We are definitely not telling Mrs Evans about out junk food binges. She'll have me on salad for a month."

"Yeah, speaking of Mrs Evans, can you tell her to stop going through our stuff?" He asked. "I'm serious, what if I wanted to pick up something I don't want her to look at, or even know I have? If I kept a journal, would she read it? Why does she do that? It's just rude."

"I'll have a talk with her. I think she is just trying to make sure you two are okay and not into any sort of trouble. She used to be the matron at one of the private boarding schools in the area. She thinks I'm too liberal with you two." He would have to tell her to be more cautious. Now that they knew she was looking, they would hide things in different ways.

"You know, they're making me take psychology. We're studying developmental psychology. I'm a teenager. It's a stage of transition from childhood to adulthood. It's expected and natural to development for me to keep secrets from authority figures." Dean said. "So she's totally screwing with my natural development. But if she wants to see my collection of skin mags, I'll be sure to build one for her."

John laughed then. "I'm sure you would." He said, taking a long drink of his coffee. "But just because it's a natural state of development for you to keep secrets, that doesn't mean the adults in your life aren't supposed to find out what they are."

"Or you could just admit that you tasked her to spy on us." Dean said. "Don't blame you, that's exactly what you would have done thirty years ago. And now that you're CIA, can't expect that urge to know absolutely everything that's going on around you to lessen any." He said with a shrug. "Not only did I expect it, I would have been disappointed if you didn't, would start to wonder if you'd gone soft in your old age." He said with a grin. Mrs Evans was an employee. She didn't breathe without his father's permission. She certainly wouldn't comb through their things without his order. Dean had already figured that part out.

"Alright. I gave her the job. I wanted to make sure there wasn't anything … left over from your time with the transgenics. I've been worried." He said. It was true. He knew that there was enough of his own past to undo, but now there was whatever those monsters had placed in his boys' minds to worry about as well.

"Except for your inexplicable, excessive hatred of them, everything they said and you said pretty much jives." Dean said. "You want them dead. They know you want them dead. I mean you as in the whole religion. They said the ritual can either make you sick, make you nothing, or kill you. You told me that the ritual can make you sick, make you nothing, or kill you. What, exactly, would be left over in my head from them? I mean, I don't want them dead. I probably never will, because I got the opportunity to know them as people, and they were great to me and Sam. But I'm fourteen. Even I have limitations. Not like I can stop you guys from going after them. Besides, David said if I tried to get on the transgenic side, you'd send Sam to Boston. And I'll pick Sam over them any time."

John frowned at that. "Glad to know you prefer family to … them. But I never doubted that you would. You are here, after all. Of your own free will. You do realize I would never hurt Sam, don't you?" He had to wonder what else David had been telling him.

"I know. But I don't want him in Boston and me in some California prep school." Dean said. "Look, I promised I wouldn't tell, it slipped out." Well, not slipped out. But he had promised not to tell. "I told him I was just waiting for the explanation of everything from you, so I thought you two had talked about it, is all." Perfectly logical, really. "And that's all I really needed. You're my dad. You've always looked out for us, I know that. And I trust that. Just a little bothered that in my concept of time, a few months ago you had me watching Sam for weeks at a time, and now some strange woman is going through my stuff on a daily basis because you don't trust me."

John sighed. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way." He said. "But you have to understand, they had you for 27 years, doing god knows what to your mind and body. Then when I hear from you again, you have been living with transgenics…I think I have a right to be concerned. More concerned than usual. It's not that I don't trust you, Dean. I do. Otherwise you would already be in a prep school in California. You're my son. I love you. I trust you to do what you think is right. I'm just worried about what it is you might believe is right."

"I know two transgenics." Dean pointed out. "I can't make an opinion on all transgenics from that. After all, there are plenty of people that probably think you're an ass," that side of John's personality wasn't often hidden from strangers, "but it would be wrong of them to make an opinion on everyone in the religion based on that, right? We were living on our own. But then I got shot. Then I got sick. And they took care of us. But," and it pained him to lie about this, "that transgenic that attacked those cops? He was dangerous. He needed to be put down. Maybe I don't think a blanket policy should be in place, either way. Good or bad."

John nodded. "Manticore created them to be an army. Assassins and spies." He said. "A project that should never have been begun. They shouldn't have ever been created. I'm relieved that the ones you came across are decent." It was hard for him to say that. "We will just have to agree to disagree on the blanket policy. I don't expect you to think exactly as I do. I just worry about contact with them."

"Hey, David made it clear." Dean said. "I contact them, and Sam goes to Boston. I love you, Dad, but Sam's the one person who hasn't changed. So that's enough for me. Besides, without me there to watch after him, who knows what kind of trouble he'd get into!" He said as he ate his burger. "I like having a dad again. I even tolerate David. Once Mrs Evans stops going through my underwear drawer, I'll like her. Why would I choose squatting in an apartment waiting for the sector cops to come kick me out, or walking down the street with a transgenic, hoping that the government doesn't see us and I accidentally get shot again, over an actual family? You didn't raise me to be an idiot."

John nodded. "Fair enough. I will talk to David. He wasn't supposed to threaten you. I wish you boys would get along better. But honestly, I think he is jealous and feeling insecure right now. He needs to get over it."

"I wasn't supposed to tell." Dean said. "So if you tell him what I told you, he'll feel like you're taking my side, which will just make him an even more insecure, jealous punk. It's not me you have to worry about, he's not my copy." Dean pointed out.

"He hasn't been … cruel or threatening to your brother has he?" John asked, features hardening into an all too familiar expression.

"He's not that stupid." Dean said. "He stares at us like he's expecting us to do some stupid pet trick. He's had your undivided attention his entire life. I think he misses it." Dean couldn't remember having his father's undivided attention.

"You're right. I need to make time to spend with just David. Not used to this, you know. You and Sam were always inseparable, so time with one, was time with both. Not so easy with David. So… are we alright now? Any more questions you have?"

"Yeah. If Manticore did do something to us, what are you going to do? Get rid of us? Because Manticore's the big enemy and all." Not that Dean had any love for them. They'd kept him in stasis for 27 years, and put him in a position where he couldn't protect his brother.

"No. I could never do that. I would try and find a way to undo what ever had been done and protect you both. I could never willingly get rid of you." He couldn't either. He had left the cult for their mother, turned his back on his heritage, his family. He could do it again for his sons if he had to. He just hoped that it wasn't going to be necessary.

"All right." Dean said and accepted that. "Hey, maybe we can go to a shooting range after this. Still hours left in the school day after all." He said with a grin. For once, this rare time, he had his father's undivided attention.

Alec parked his bike near Joshua's front step and headed inside "What's going on?" He asked. Seeing signs of packing going on, and a definite lack of Joshua.

"Joshua moved to Terminal City." Max said, sitting on the floor and boxing up the last of his paints. "After Annie...well....he doesn't like to be alone."

"Can't say I blame him. Being alone is… different. Most of the time I like it but others, not so much. Joshua's always hated being alone. Guess it was inevitable. " He said sitting down beside her on the floor.

"I don't know, if Dean and Sam were still here, maybe he wouldn't have been so alone." She said. "So heard from Dean? God, I hope we didn't make the biggest mistake."

"Not in a while. Did Logan have any clue what was meant by the coming storm?" Alec asked. "I just don't think it's a literal thing. Especially not with those two." He frowned. "And no matter what we would have done, they would be right where they are now. Just … they wouldn't be talking to us anymore."

"They're not talking to us now." Max said. "Logan looked into it. The only think he could figure out is some big battle of some sort. Either a real battle or a metaphorical battle. It's really not easy to pin down with what he was given, and for once I agree with the guy." Coming storm was vague.

"Not the same." Alec said. "You liked being big sister, didn't you? That almost mom figure." He knew how she felt. He felt the same. There was a hole in their lives since the kids went back to their dad.

Max chuckled as she sealed one box and reached for another. Joshua had lots of paint. "I did." She said with a grin. "Admit it, you did too. Well, maybe not the sister and mom part, I don't think."

Alec grinned a little. "Yeah, I did. I miss them too." He told her. "And they will call again. They just have to be careful. That's all." He reached for paints and started to put them into the box. "I think Joshua has the right idea though. Sticking together with those we can trust." He hesitated to say their own kind, even though it crossed his mind. Logan and OC were the exception, but otherwise the reality was, everyone was looking to kill them.

"I've spent ten years hiding in plain sight." Max said. "I don't plan to start hiding underground now. Besides, I went to Terminal City with Sam, remember? And let me tell you, the locals aren't friendly."

"I don't know… I think for some of us, it's the best possible answer. But we'll see. It's old prejudices. We used to call them nomalies, we were afraid of them. They hated us case we were allowed out in the open. People need to just get over it."

"If people were as willing to get over prejudices and fear, we wouldn't be talking about this." Max pointed out.

"We aren't going to have much of a choice." Alec said. "We all have the same problem and the only way to get through this is going to be banding together." He didn't like the idea of leaving his comfortable home, unless it was to move into another comfortable home, which TC was not. But that wasn't the point. Not really.

"I have a life here, Alec. So do you. We've got friends, and jobs, and places to have fun." Max said. "We're not animals to be herded into the closest confined space."

"You act like one is an exclusion of the other." He said. "We wouldn't be there under lock and key. How long is it going to be before White or Lydecker catches up with more of us?"

"I don't know." Max said. "But I....I don't kn ow. I don't like being forced into a corner, and that's what's happening. Besides the fact that we can't keep the slight tab we have on the boys if we corral ourselves into TC."

"You sound like you think the minute you walk in the gates there is no leaving again." Alec said. "Like it's some kind of roach motel."

"Oh don't start, you'd do horrible there." She said with a laugh. "No cable, everything's old and rusted, and the pizza place definitely doesn't deliver there."

"Yeah I know. It's a last resort, but I still think we need to band together. Find a few more of the x5s out there and … I don't know… look out for each other."

Max nodded. "You're right." Max said. "We don't have a choice. We're getting a war on two fronts...." She said as her eyes glanced over to the TV she had on for background noise. Where Ames White was testifying in front of a Senate meeting. Basically exposing all transgenics. Even the X series. "Make that three."

"We are so screwed." Alec said with a sigh. "We have to find the others before everyone else does. Get those bar codes burned off. I really hate that by the way. Really hate the burning off."

"Big tough soldier doesn't like the laser treatment?" Max teased. "Good thing you never tattooed anyone's name on you then. Come on, let's go find the ones we know about. This is bad, this is very very bad."

"Yeah before they decide manticore is better than life outside." He said. He knew otherwise. He knew all too well.

Sam got in the door of the house and instantly started looking for Dean. David hadn't known where Dean had gone with their father, and Sam had the sinking feeling something was wrong. Seriously wrong "Dean?" He called out.

"Hey." Dean said. "In here." He was in the living room watching White on TV (it was on all the stations, interrupting Home Improvement, dammit), and his stomach was dropping into his feet as he watched. "How was school?"

"It was… oh god." He said seeing what Dean was watching on the TV. He was suddenly angry, sad… scared. He looked at his father who had just come into the room with a beer in hand. "You're part of this, aren't you?" He yelled. "You want to make it impossible for them. You want them dead!"

"Sam, stop." Dean said as he watched the press conference. "Dad's CIA, they totally don't give press conferences." He said with a chuckle. "Look, some of them are dangerous. Unfortunately they, our government, needs a blanket policy for now to weed out which ones are dangerous and which ones aren't."

"That isn't going to help Max and Alec who, in case you have forgotten, aren't dangerous. Neither is Joshua. They helped us. But White wants them dead. That's why you got shot, remember? Or did a road trip with Dad suddenly make you forget all of that? It's not right, Dean. It's just not right. Next thing you know. they'll show up and take David away."

"David's a clone. Not a transgenic. He's human." Dean said and gave Sam a look. One that others would interpret as 'calm down.' But in Deanspeak meant 'go with it.' "Look, I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but we can't do anything about it. It's in the government's hands and I'm sure they know what they're doing. Manticore was government after all. They know more than we do. We know three transgenics. Out of hundreds. They just could be the exception to the rule."

Sam caught the look and sulked. It was faked, but it was a normal enough expression for him when angry at their father. "Fine. Okay. But it scares me. I don't want them to be killed because of the others." He said.

"I'm sure they will be smart enough to keep their heads down." John said, giving Dean and approving look. "It will all sort itself out how it's supposed to go." He told his younger son. He was beginning to think that maybe Sam was going to be the bigger problem of the two. He would have to think of some new way to drive the point home to his youngest son.

"I'll explain it to Sam." Dean said with a grin towards his father. "I know you hate repeating yourself. Can we go to the park? Play some basketball? I talk better when I'm moving."

"Sure, be back before dark."John said. Just because he didn't hunt anymore, didn't mean that he didn't know what was out there. "Take the usual precautions."

"I'll go put my stuff away and change." Sam said still going with the quietly sullen routine. He couldn't wait to hear how Dean planned to explain this to him. He doubted it would be the explanation his father was expecting. He ran up the stairs anxious to get out of his school uniform, and out of the house.

Dean grabbed the basket ball, and the 'usual precautions'. He walked with Sam to the park, they had guards, but the guards stayed a discreet distance away. Dean checked the ball to Sam. "Dad has found religion." Dean said, and explained the religion in the exact terms his father had used, so the guards could report back accordingly. Dean wasn't stupid.

He waited until they were in a close blocking game. "It's all nuts. But go with it. Or they'll separate us. I know transgenics aren't evil. You know that. Dad? He's been brainwashed into a whole other belief, and it's not like we can un-brainwash him. Right now, just go with it. I'm figuring stuff out now, I promise."

"Separate us?" Sam asked quietly. That scared him even more than the idea of losing Max and Alec. They could protect themselves most of the time, but Sam knew he would be lost without Dean. "Okay. I'll go with it. I want to leave, Dean… no school is worth this."

"We're going to have to hide from someone in the CIA. I need time." Dean said. "We'll get out of this, I promise. Right now, we just have to make him believe that we're eating up everything he's saying and begging for more. Just be sulky until dinner, let Dad give his spiel, and then be all accepting, okay?"

"Okay… I will." He said. "I miss Dad the way he was." Sam said, honestly. "I don't like this new version." David had been nice to him, even if he was usually not happy to be followed around by an inquisitive brother. But he was weird too. The entire situation was too weird for Sam's liking.

"It's been almost thirty years. Maybe this is how he would have turned out anyway." Dean said, taking a shot. "Every once in a while I see the old Dad. My punishment for cutting class yesterday was to go on a drive with him, hear all about the religion," he wouldn't call it a cult where people could hear, "grab a burger guaranteed to cause cardiac arrest, then go to the shooting range. It was....nice."

"I guess." He said. "Maybe. Do you think they'll be okay?" He asked his thoughts back on their friends once more. "Everyone at school is part of it too, aren't they? Teachers, students…"

"They are." Dean said as he moved back with the ball. "It's a great opportunity." He said to Sam, well aware that the guards were listening. "Dad says we can change the world."

One of the guards moved over to a tree and called John on his cell phone. "Sir, the older boy is making headway with his brother. He's hit all the high points you must have told him."

"Good." John said. "Give them time to talk it out. Dean is the key to Sam." He said and hung up going into the study. "It looks like things are going to come together after all." He told David as he took a seat. "Dean is working on Sam as we speak."

"You got through to him?" David asked, surprised. "That's...unexpected. I thought you said he was a lost cause."

"I thought he was." John said. "But his family means more to him than anything else. And this is where his family is. He will tow the line to keep the family together." John didn't like that David had taken it upon himself to threaten Dean with losing Sam but it had apparently worked, so he wasn't going to say anything about it just yet.

"Almost too bad. I think Sam would have enjoyed the school in Boston. It's better than the one here, and he's such a smart kid." David said. "But I don't think Dean would get in."

"Dean might surprise you. He is just as intelligent as you and Samuel." John said. "I don't know… once things are settled, I'm thinking of putting in for a transfer. Getting close to retirement. Looking forward to spending time with you boys. If I do, are you going with us?" He asked. "I understand that it's difficult with the boys back. I get that. But it doesn't make you any less important to me and this family."

"Depends on school." David said. "I don't know, it's just weird for me. The things that come out of Dean's mouth, you would never have stood for with me. And now that Sam's here, I really do feel like the Xerox White likes to say I am. Or correctly, that's all I am."

"You are not a Xerox. Your personality, your soul… your experiences, those are all yours. You are very much an individual, David. Don't let White infect you with his bitterness. He is an arrogant ass that likes to run his mouth." John said as he took a long drink of his beer. "Dean will start to tow the line. I was a different man back then. I let him mostly raise himself, and Sam. He's used to a lot more freedom."

David couldn't imagine. He had always had his father there, and when his father was off on ops, he had Mrs Evans. He was rarely left unsupervised as a child for more than an hour at a time. "Well, Dean and I are trying to figure out one thing. Who's the oldest brother? He was born first. But I'm older. Not to mention twice his size. It's the whole hierarchy of things." And it was unusual. Three sons. Most were allowed one child. Some had two. Three was nearly unheard of in modern times of their religion.

"You are the oldest, Dean is first born. Not a normal situation. " He said with a chuckle. "As far as hierarchy in the house goes, you are the adult. That says it all." The cult, it would be different. They accepted David as back up right now. They weren't willing to alienate him at the moment, but they weren't going to give him the honor of being considered the first born son in their lineages. Not now. John wished they would treat him differently, but that would never happen.

That was the problem. First born sons were prized highly in their religion. Even if Sam was as special as everyone predicted, it was Dean who would get the best match. Dean who would be groomed to take their father's place. David knew he was tolerated only because he was the only one available. But now the first born and Sam were back. That made David extraneous. He ran his hand through his hair. "I caught the televised meeting at school, quite a debate there, but I think the general public will come down on our side." He said, changing the subject.

"I know they will." John said. "Fascism at its best. Give the public an identifiable face of evil and they will band together against them under any one that will lead. Sad really. It works for us this time, but it usually ends tragically."

"Playing god has that effect too." David said. "Taking humans, combining them with animals, saying all along it's for the good of the human race? Looks like it's finally ending tragically as far as I'm concerned."

"Are we talking about you personally, or your opinion? Because it's not going to end tragically for you. You have to know I won't allow that to happen." John said. "I love you. You are my son. Don't ever doubt that."

"I don't. And it's my opinion. I'm not combined with animals after all. I'm a pure human. I remember all the blood they took when I was a kid to make sure of that too. I'm just saying the transgenics and all their other furry little friends are finally going to meet the messy end they were designed for. They weren't designed to gracefully pass into old age."

"There was a time I didn't think I was either. Glad I was wrong. " John said. "I'm going to accelerate the boys training in Minoan. I want the initiation over and done with as soon as possible. " He looked to David. "Any help you can give Dean in that area, I would appreciate. Sam has almost caught up already."

"I'll be around when he gets off school." David said. "I'll have him caught up in no time." He said as he heard the boys return.

"We're back." Dean said and gave his father a nod as they passed the study. He'd taken care of it. Sure, it wasn't the way John really wanted it done, but it was taken care of anyway.

"Dinner is in half an hour. Go get cleaned up" John called out to them.

Sam didn't have an appetite. He went straight to his room and flopped down on his bed. He wanted to see Max and Alec to make sure they were alright, but that would never be allowed. "I hate this." He said quietly. "I really hate this."

"What's that?" David asked as he stood at Sam's doorway. His father wanted him to bond with his natural brats, he'd bond with the brats. "What's wrong?"

Ah crap, Sam thought. "Where do I begin?" He said sullenly. "I understand what Dean says about this religion thing. I get it… it's weird but I get it. I just hate that my friends are in danger cause the others are dangerous. I hate not understanding why everything changed. I hate not growing up when I should have… a lot of things." It was honest enough. For the most part. "And it all sounds whiny when I say it out loud, but I don't mean to whine."

"I'd think you were strange if you weren't feeling this way." David said, coming in and sitting down at Sam's desk. "It's okay to worry about them, I guess. If they're smart, they'll leave Seattle and go up to Canada. I know everything is changed, Dad sounds like a completely different person when you talk about it."

"If I didn't know better, I would say he was the one that was a clone. " Sam said with a sigh. "It's just… I don't know. He's a lot more normal now. And as weird as it sounds, that's creepy. Dean is … Dean. He's falling right into line with Dad. He always did, though. Dad was always right, no matter what." Might as well play into their hands. "Doesn't matter if it makes sense or not. Dad is always right."

"I heard that about Dean." David said with a nod. "It's been thirty years for him. Once he stopped hunting, he just slipped back into the normal world, probably more like what he was like before your mom died. Maybe the Dad you knew growing up was just an aberration brought on by circumstances beyond anyone's control."

"Yeah. I know. Probably was. Trying to keep us away from the demon, and then everything else going on… grieving for mom… Funny thing was this was how I always wanted him to be …before our long nap. Has he always been like this with you? Or did he slowly become like this?"

"A bit slowly. I like to think we grew up together." David said with a laugh. "He got into the CIA when I was a baby, and just threw himself into the ops. Probably his way of anger management. He looked for you two, and every passing year, I think a little bit more of him died when he couldn't find you. The years went by, and he just...accepted it, I guess. Hated it, grieved it, but accepted it."

"Dean used to take care of both of us. Dad would come back all banged up and Dean would stitch him up, make sure he took the antibiotics, and ate. When it would get to the day Mom died, Dad would get really… distant… angry. Dean was the only one that could deal with him on those days."

"He still gets sad. He'll retire to his study and just, I don't know, I think he drinks a little too much, and just sits there." David said with a shrug. "I never dealt with him when he was like that, I just would find something else to do. Sounds like a lot for a little kid to take on. How was it for you?"

"It was rough. I know it was my fault Mom's dead. Dad and Dean say it isn't, but I know it was. It happened in my nursery. Right over my crib. I couldn't really make myself deal with him on those days. Unfortunately there wasn't anywhere else to go. We lived in hotel rooms and the Impala."

"It's okay, Sam." David said. "I can see how you would blame yourself for that. You're right, the evidence is there. But it's circumstantial and men have gotten off even when confronted with harder evidence."

"They've been condemned for less too." Sam said with a shrug. "They don't think it was my fault. Well… Dean doesn't think it was my fault. I think Dad does. Or he did anyway." Sam shrugged again. "Doesn't matter now I guess. It's been a long time for Dad. I really hate Manticore. They did this to me and Dean and they tortured our friend. Why can't you guys take them out instead of going after the ones that don't want to be a part of the whole evil government conspiracy crap?"

"Because they don't have a choice." David said. "They're part of it whether they like it or not, they've been genetically programmed, that's hard to overcome. Oh they might think they overcame it, but fact is, they can't. They were made to be weapons."

"I guess. To me, it would make more sense to make the ones that tried to overcome it weapons for the good guys." He said with what was still child like logic. "People judge by certain standards… " he remembered his father's justification for things they did long ago and why it was right but wasn't right at the same time. "Their own ideas of right and wrong. Because they don't see the whole picture. I mean, Dad used to dig up graves and salt and burn the bodies. We had money for weapons and food and the car because of credit card scams. Dad and Dean killed things… sometimes things that other people thought of as people. We would have been the bad guys by everyone else's standards. But we weren't. We were the good guys. Things aren't always how they seem or what they look like."

"They're not entirely human." David countered. "If there was a disaster in a zoo, and all the lions and tigers got out...no one in their right minds would think of adopting them as house pets. So you've got two camps. One, the zoo, who want to recapture the animals and bring them back as they rebuild. Two, everyone else who knows that you can't have a lion running around the school yard and will do whatever it takes to protect the school kids."

"Yeah it makes sense…but at the same time, the zoo in question was more like a torture chamber, and the people out there are … well… they are gonna hurt innocent people. They are gonna assume that some people are transgenics that aren't, it's gonna be all hysteria and paranoia out there."

"You're right. You two need to stick close to home then. Me too I guess." David said. "One thing hasn't changed about Dad, he's a freaking tank."

Sam smiled. "Guess that means we'll age well too." He looked thoughtful. "Is that because of the religion? I know that Max said White was just as strong as she is… well she didn't put it that way but what she and Alec described was as strong as her."

"And White's not even the strongest of us. He's not of a warrior line." David said. "Sandeman used to be one of us, he knew everything. And he took you two maybe because you were easy to get at the time, with Dad working that other...job...anyway, he took what was in you guys and manipulated it. That strength, the speed, that could be from you guys, and he perverted it with his experiments."

"No wonder Dad is pissed." Sam said. "But Dean and I aren't super fast or strong. Are you?" He asked. He didn't remember his dad going full on the way Max or Alec could, but then again, they didn't go into the hunt with him all that often at their ages. Dean had really only been going at all for the last year. Sam was still on research duty with the occasional salt and burn.

"After the initiation you'll see." David said. "It opens everything up, and you start to reach your potential. That's why you have to learn Minoan, and be really good at it."

"Okay. I'm already moving up to the next class." Sam said. "Is there something in specific I need to know? Cause I'm good at memorizing stuff. I know the entire exorcism ritual in Latin. I can learn the other quick." Play along right? That's what Dean wanted him to do for now. So that's what he was going to do.

"They're teaching you the initiation now, because you two are already late for it. So it's kinda like cribbing it I guess, just everything they teach you right now, you need to know. Once you're ready, Dad'll arrange it. It hurts, for a second or two. Like when you reach for a pot and it's still hot and you forgot. But it's not so bad really."

"I've heard that it makes some kids sick… and kills others. Did you get sick?" Sam asked, after all he and David shared the exact same DNA. He worried about Dean. Dean had a way of getting sick at the drop of a hat. If there was an infection to be had, he would get it.

"Nope." David said. "Not even a sniffle, so see? You'll be fine. I wouldn't worry about Dean, after all, the transgenics are surviving it too, right?"

"Doesn't mean that part came from Dean. That part could have come from me." Sam said. "Just cause they don't look like me doesn't mean there isn't a part of me in them. I mean you and I don't look like Mom, but she is definitely part of us."

"Good point, you've been studying your genetics." David said with a nod. "I guess with Dean, we'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure it'll be fine though. He's a healthy kid, he's strong."

"Yeah I guess he is. Why hasn't someone come up with a test to figure out of this stuff will kill you before they put you through the ritual?" He asked. "What's on that knife anyway? Max told us what she had seen there with the ritual and all."

"Max was an outsider and didn't understand." David said. "It's part of our religion, our culture, to weed out the weak. If you don't survive the initiation, you don't deserve the chance to pass your genes on. I know it sounds harsh, and maybe it is, but it's the way it's always been done. Very few kids actually die, some just get really sick, because the weak genes have already been eliminated."

"I guess it makes sense. I just can't imagine putting your kids neck on the chopping block like that." Sam said. "I can't imagine Dad doing it… but I guess all that raising us to be strong will pay off…" It sounded insane to him.

"You'll be fine. Dad says they haven't lost anyone from his line in centuries." David said, confidently. "So no worries, okay? Just concentrate on your part of it, and it'll be over before you know it."

Yeah, but what about their mother's line that hadn't been introduced yet? But Sam shook it off. There was no way out. They were going to have to go through this. They had no where to go right then, anyway. Max and Alec had enough trouble on their hands.


	10. Waiting

He didn't know how he'd managed it, but he had. He and Sam were sequestered in another school, their father not allowed to visit them until it was done. Constant classes boring into his head until he couldn't take it anymore.

But finally he'd snuck out and went to a payphone with money he'd lifted from the instructors and called Alec's cell phone. "Hey." Dean said. Then didn't know quite what to say.

"Dean! Hey, man how are you two?" Alec asked, smiling broadly. "It's been weeks since I heard from you last." That had worried him as much as it had Max. He had tried to be reassuring, and pragmatic for Max but it wasn't how he felt about it.

"We're, uh, you know, hanging in there." Dean said. "We're going to undergo the initiation, no choice really. I don't even know where we are. This whole thing is crazy, but once it's over, I think we'll be a lot more unsupervised. Dad's got guards on us, and the housekeeper was going through our stuff...." He sighed. "How are you guys holding up? Haven't been able to watch the news lately."

"If it's the same place where White's kid was taken, Max would know where. Do you want us to come and get you?" He asked. "We can do it. Not a problem." Alec would risk it without a second thought.

Dean shook his head. "Not a good idea. Security's been beefed up since then. Armed guards constantly patrolling, motion detectors I've never seen before. You'd at best get captured. At worst, well, these people really don't like you." Dean said. "I just plan to get through it and then get the hell out of here. It's just taking longer than I thought, I mean, Dad's CIA. Not going to be easy.....I don't know why I'm worrying you about this. How are you guys doing?"

"We're good." Alec said and meant it. "Working, keeping my customers happy, getting those that want to go out to TC where they can be safe. We ride motorcycles at Jam Pony now. Things are coming together, so don't worry about us."

"Yeah, well, things are coming together on their end too." Dean said. He might be residing with them, but he wasn't 'them.' "Between Manticore and this weird ass cult....they've got a senator on their dole, different military people, CIA obviously, NSA, FBI, Homeland Security...."

"Yeah I know." Alec said. "It's all good. We're not that easy to pick out in a crowd. Don't worry about us. Just take care of yourself and Sam. When you make your move, let me know, we'll help. Can even get you into Canada if you want."

"We're supposed to go through this thing in two days. So if I don't call you a week from today, you find Sam." Dean said. Because that would mean he didn't make it through the damn thing and he didn't trust this new world and this new and improved family with Sam. "Promise me."

"I promise. Dean, look, I'm gonna talk to Max, We'll see if they are using the same school and get you out of there before this thing goes down." Alec said. If Dean was demanding that promise, he was thinking he wasn't going to make it.

"I don't think you'll have time." Dean said honestly. "Just if something goes wrong, get Sam and go. I just need to know that he'd be safe. I know he'll do fine, David's alive after all."

"I promise, okay? I will take care of Sam, but you are going to be fine. Don't let yourself get psyched out to thinking you are going to die. I mean it. You are going to be fine. You will call me in a few days."

"I know." Dean said. "I should head back. All I know is we're by some lake. And we crossed a wooden bridge to get here. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, you will." Alec said. "Be careful." When the call ended he called Max. "We gotta talk. Meet me at the Burger Joint." He said. "I just got a call from Dean."

"I'll be right there." Max said, and she was out the door before she even hung up, and managed to beat Alec there and ordered the food. She waited impatiently for him and looked at him expectantly when he showed up. "Where is he? Are they okay? What's wrong? Is it Sam?"

"Slow down Mom. Let Dad get a word in edgewise here." He said as he took a seat. "We have to get out to that school where you found White's kid. Dean says they are scheduled for that initiation ceremony in two days. He isn't worried about Sam because David came through, but he made me promise to go and find Sam if he doesn't call me in a week. He isn't so sure about himself coming through it."

"Oh god." Max said. "We're going to have to plan this carefully. Logan paged me and said that he had reports of Manticore in that area as well." Neither wanted to be caught by them again. That would mean more Psi Ops for the both of them.

"I know. Dean said they had upped security there as well. Constant patrols, motion detectors. They are expecting it this time. He said they were on some lake and that they had crossed a wooden bridge to get there. Is that the same place?"

Max shook her head. "No, there was no lake." She said with a frustrated sigh. "So we should start looking at the lakes around here and see what we can come up with. If there's any schools near by, summer camps, something."

"As much as you hate doing it… we might need to pull Logan in on this one. He has a better chance of figuring it out with his equipment." Alec said. He hated bringing him up to her. But with the boys on the line, he figured she could handle it.

"Yeah, I know." Max said. If she were really lucky, she could solve this problem and avoid any meeting between Logan and Alec. She called Logan. "Hey, it's me." She said.

Logan drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Hi." He said. "It's been a while. Started to think you weren't talking to me any more. What's up?"

"Got a hit on the boys. Dean said he's somewhere by a lake waiting to go through the initiation. He sounds like he thinks he won't survive. Think you can narrow it down?"

"I'll do what I can. Did he give any other clues?" Logan asked. "There are a lot of lakes out here." He hoped that it was local. With Winchester, there was no telling.

"A wooden bridge is by there." Max said. "And Manticore is moving in, so we definitely need to find them before Manticore does. Or before this initiation takes place."

"Okay. I'm on it. I'll call you if I come up with anything." Logan said but he had his doubts. He didn't think there were any private schools secluded enough for that kind of activity other than the one they had been to before, but it might not be a school.

"Thank you." Max said. "Let me know if you think of anything else, we're wracking our brains over here right now."

"It might not be a school. Might be a private estate. I'll call you later after I have had time to look into it." He said. "So… how are you?" He finally got the courage to ask.

Max glanced at Alec. This was all his idea after all. Talk about awkward! "I'm, you know, keeping my head down." She said. "Have half the transgenics working for Normal, but other than that, you know, things are....they're all right."

"Good… I ahm… this is where we have that awkward conversation about how we should stay friends, and it's not going to effect our work relationship, right?"

"This might not, but the virus always will." She reminded him. "Everything works out, right?"

"We'll work around that. We can't avoid each other forever. You know that. Not given what we do." Logan was willing to let go of the relationship. Reluctant yes, but he could handle losing that. Losing the friendship, and someone he could count on, that he wasn't willing to let go of so easily.

"I guess not." Max allowed. "Once we get the boys back, we'll stop by for pizza. I've seen Winchester's house, I'm not sure how much pizza they're getting."

"Alright. Sounds good. I'll talk to you later" Logan said and ended the call.

Alec raised an eyebrow. "Making a date?" He asked. He didn't like that it made him jealous, but it did. It wasn't like Max had ever even implied there was a chance for the two of them. In fact, he remembered very clearly her reactions to him in general. But it still bugged him.

"Making arrangements for a welcome home party when we get the boys back." Max corrected him. "I thought it would be a good idea, don't you?"

"If they are up for it. Yeah. I have a feeling they aren't going to feel like celebrating." Alec said. "They are after all going to be on the run from their own father." He said.

"That's why I'm not suggesting a blow out at Crash." Max said. "they'll still need to eat. And we're just as much their family as Winchester and the freaky clone, if not more."

"Yeah. its still gonna be hard on them. Well...until we get something to go on… not much we can do really. Let's get back to work… I'll go and nudge Logan along when I'm done for the day. Haven't been around his place since the two of you… split."

Max's brown eyes filled with panic for a second. "You know, he said he'd call. And he's really hard to nudge." She said.

"Max… " Alec said and sighed. "I'm not gonna interfere in your business. I think it's for the best you two are no longer seeing each other. Don't worry so much." He misread the expression on her face. It wasn't hard to do, considering he didn't know what she had let Logan believe.

Max nodded. And crossed her fingers under the table. "Well, let's get back to work before Normal thinks I'm off corrupting his golden boy." She said lightly.

"Yeah, can't keep those customers waiting for their polite and friendly deliveries." Alec said, although it would be nice if the customers were polite and friendly in return. But hey, it gave him a sector pass and access to the better neighborhoods without questions.

"I know. All those nickel tips." She said with a grin. "Come on, I'll beat you back, and stick you with all the old women."

"Nice… this is what friendship means to you. Sticking me with all the old women who don't tip and have 15 cats." He said and of course they all want to wind and twist around him as he is trying to make his way down the steps.

"You have feline DNA. I thought you'd enjoy the cats, I don't know, communicate with your brethren or something." She said with a grin. "Which makes me an awesome friend."

"I have all the feline friends I need. All of them 2 legged thank you. It's … creepy." He said. "Makes me uncomfortable. So you can have my share of the four legged fur balls. "

"No, that's okay." She said and tied her hair back. "Yeah, Alec, I gotta warn you about something you haven't encountered yet. Especially in Manticore. Since we're on the subject of cats."

"Why does this sound like I'm not gonna like what you have to say? What? There some strange out break of cats scratch fever?"

"Funny." She said. "Okay, we're a hodge podge of a whole mess of DNA. From the purring side of our family tree, we got some awesome flexibility, ability to jump high, we're pretty damn fast......and....wow....this is embarrassing." She sighed. "Once or twice a year, well, the females, we, well, there's a cycle, and Manticore was great with the pills and shots, but we're not in Manticore anymore.....course, you'll probably love it, I forgot who I'm talking to." She said with a chuckle. "Never mind. You got it, right? Please say right."

Alec nearly choked. "You go into heat?" He asked incredulously. "And you still didn't… I mean you and he never… even when you… Wow." He said. "Sorry but… wow. Guess you probably go off some where by yourself until it passes… " he then let out a long slow breath at the imagery.

She smacked his arm. "You always go straight into the gutter!" She said. "Actually last time it happened, I wasn't with Logan in any way, and I ended up taking some guy home. Luckily, he passed out before I could do anything." They pulled up to Jam Pony. And she decided to let him have it. In a sneaky way, as she tossed a grin over her shoulder. "Completely uncontrollable, I'm tellin' ya."

"Com-completely uncontrollable?" He practically squeaked. His interest was suddenly piqued, as he followed her inside. "Exactly how uncontrollable are we talking?"

She grinned. She swore his voice broke. "Completely." She said as she shoved him against the lockers. "I went out, crawled the walls, dragged a guy home, tore his clothes off....." She said as she stepped away. "Then he passed out. It was a bad night. Or a good night, depending I guess. I'm just saying, watch out. Whole town full of cats now."

"Wow." He breathed. "Right… " he swallowed. "Have to be careful of the cats." Or not. He started wondering if it was too late to put cat nip out in front of his house.

Sam was waiting in Dean's room when he made it back into the school. He didn't ask out loud if Dean had got ahold of them or not. He was positive there were ears everywhere. Probably eyes too. He just waited to see his brother's face to know what was going on.

Dean came in through the window and winked at Sam. After calling Alec, he called a friend he had made at school, one who had already gone through the initiation, to 'talk' about it. In case he had been seen coming in and out, that could be verified. "You're up late." Dean said. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah I'm just nervous about the initiation ceremony." That was true enough. "And missing my own bed." That was definitely true. He was missing their apartment down the hall from Max and OC. He was missing Joshua, and the people they knew on the street, the Jam Pony people, and most of all, being in control of their lives.

"I know." Dean said as he took off his jacket and his shoes. "We'll be back before you know it. The actual ceremony doesn't take long at all. So it's all good, really is. Get this out of the way...and things go back to normal." He was convinced once this was done, surveillance on them would be lightened. Easier to slip away. Maybe Canada after all.

Sam nodded. "I can't wait to get back home." He said, and he didn't mean their father's house. He wasn't their father anymore. There was very little left of the man they had been raised by. He saw that now.

"I know." Dean said. "We just have to do this." He said, ever aware of who might be listening at any time. "It's important to everyone, Dad, even us in the future. Then maybe I can convince Dad to take us on a vacation."

"I'd like that." Sam said. "Never thought I'd say it, but I miss being on the road." He sighed. He wanted things to be the way they were. The way he had always said he had hated. He wanted the open road, the hunt, his father to go off and risk his life being a hero, killing real monsters. Then at least his world made sense.

"I never thought I'd hear you say it either." Dean said as someone knocked on his door and David poked his head in.

"You two are supposed to be asleep." David said, frowning slightly. "In your own rooms."

"Sorry. My fault. I had a bad dream." Sam said. "All the excitement I guess." He got up from the bed. "I'll see you in the morning, Dean." He didn't want to go. Didn't like being separated at all. Especially in a place they both knew wasn't safe.

"All right." David said, looking at the brothers. "Well, they've got rules and stuff, and you two need your sleep. Prep starts tomorrow, or actually in a few hours," he said looking at the clock, "and trust me, it's tiring."

"Can't I sleep here? I'll actually go to sleep, I promise." Sam said, looking up at David. Some how he knew the little boy lost look wouldn't work on him the way it did every maternal or grand motherly presence within a hundred yards, but he had to try.

David rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He said. "Just don't embarrass me tomorrow. Either of you." He said as he left.

Dean chuckled. "He's a barrel of laughs."

"No kidding. I hope that is not my personality in there." Sam said. "Cause … he doesn't have one." Sam said quietly as he got into bed. "He tries but it's just not there."

"You start turning out like him, I swear I'll kick your ass." Dean said with a laugh.

David went to the phone. " Dad I think you should be here. I know it's not allowed, but those two are acting strange. Stranger than normal at any rate."

"Tell me what's going on." John said with a frown. "Strange how?" Strange to David might not actually be strange for Sam and Dean. They were from a completely different world than David, in more ways than one.

"Sam refuses to leave Dean's room." David said. He was the recognized adult, and Sam had deliberately ignored him. That actually pissed him off. "He's adamant about it. And they're whispering, like they're planning something. I don't know either of them well enough to know what they could possibly be planning."

"They don't like to be apart." John said. "Never really were until they came to live with us. Sam has nightmares. Like the ones I used to have. Whispering could be anything. But I will come out and talk to them. I can plead extenuating circumstances or something." It really was hard to tell from that. It could have just been Dean trying to be quiet while calming Sam down. Or they could be planning something dangerous.

"I think Dean got off grounds." David said. "I can't prove it, you trained him well, but it's just a feeling I have. I'm sending people to the payphones around here, and canvassing for any prepaid cellphones that might have been discarded."

"Good idea. Let me know what you find out. I'm on my way." He said. His boys were trained by him after all. Anything was possible. Including deluding an old man into hearing what he wanted to hear. Or it could be nothing.

David sighed in relief. He hadn't bonded with his 'brothers' like his father wanted. There was DeanAndSam, and David. That was it. And he didn't trust these kids as much as his father did. So when reports came back that a pay phone had been used in the last few hours, he went there himself to call back the numbers.

One was a classmate of Dean's, who said he had questions about the ritual. How he would feel after. Fair enough.

So he called the second one.

Original Cindy looked at Alec. "You're kidding me. A pizza place? Does Original Cindy look like she slops plain old pizza?"

"They aren't going to see Original Cindy through the cell phone." Alec said. "But they will recognize my voice or Max's. And they need to hear something that a teenaged boy would call. Something innocent, that a teenaged boy would call." He amended. "You know… how someone in that sector would view a kid Dean's age… not … Dean." Who would be just as likely to call someone in the black market as he was a pizza parlor.

Original Cindy rolled her eyes and took the phone. "Joe's Pizza. We have a special on wings today, finger licking delicious hot wings sure to burn a whole through your stomach just by smellin' 'em." She said. "Hello? Hey, Joe, I think it's that weird kid who keeps trying to get us to deliver to a corner! I told him we were a classy joint and we don't deliver to no corners!"

David hung up, uncertain if he was relieved or not. Part of him very much wanted his father to see these boys for what they were. Part of him just didn't want to deal with the melodrama.

Alec sighed in relief. "Thank you." He told Cindy. "You may very well actually be a life saver."

"Punk hung up on me." OC said, handing back the phone. "You're welcome."

"Hung up?" Max said with a chuckle. "Had to be David. He sounds like a punk."

"He'd be the one to check up on them anyway. John wouldn't be allowed out there from what you told me of the last ritual." Alec said. "Unfortunately we can't home in on a pay phone like you can a cell phone."

"It's worth a shot though." Max said. "Can I have your cell to drop off to Logan, see if he can work some magic, hope against hope?"

"Yeah!" Alec said as he handed over the phone. "Hopefully he can work fast. Tell him if I get a business call while he has it to take a message. Some of my customers get a little hot under the collar if I don't get back to them." He said.

"I can believe it, I've seen your customers." Max said. "I'll run over and drop it off. See everyone at Crash then?" Why it was important to her to point out that she wouldn't be lingering, she didn't know.

"I'll be there." Alec said. "The new bartender likes me." He said waggling his eyebrows a little. She was a pretty blond with a fair number of piercings and a delightful interest in both genders. Usually at the same time.

"The new bartender likes everyone." Max said with a laugh. "Might have to fight Cindy for that one too, and don't automatically think you can win either."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Alec said. "But just keep in mind… she likes everyone." He said. The last thing he wanted was a real fight with Cindy over some girl. She looked like a good time waiting to happen, and the air seemed to be full of … electricity … lately. Alec was in the mood to prowl.

Cindy looked at Alec, amused. "Boy, you look like you need to just lock yourself up somewhere." She said with a chuckle. "'Bout to climb the walls."

"Were we created in the eighties, he would have had a diagnosis of ADHD." Max said. "I'm going to go drop this off. See ya."

"Later." He said. "I'm gonna… go… run or something. " It was worse around Max. A lot worse around Max in fact. Of course he knew he was attracted to her, he had been since they had been assigned to be breeding partners. Oh, there was a thought he needed to get out of his head. She was still mooning over Logan whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Max headed over to Logan's. "Hey, I've got Alec's cell phone. Dean called him from a pay phone, we were hoping like hell you could trace it back." She said. "Oh yeah, and he told me to tell you if any of his 'business' people call, take a message."

"I will do what I can. It's gonna take a few hours. There are a lot of pay phones in the Seattle area alone." Logan said. He was hoping she would stay while he worked, but he could see in her eyes that she wasn't going to do any such thing. She was still too scared of the last time they had touched. It scared him too, the difference was to him, it was worth the risk.

"Thanks." Max said. "So I'll let you get to it, you know, keep me in the loop. I'm gonna go stare at some maps of lakes or something." She said and hurried out before she did something she'd regret. In a hard core way, because he'd be dead. She went back to her apartment and made dinner.

Didn't help.

Took a bath.

Didn't help.

Tried reading one of Cindy's trashy novels.

Made it worse.

So she called Crash before she could talk herself out of it. "Hey, put Alec on the phone." She said.

"Hey." He said. "That was fast, what's the word?" He asked, hoping that it was someplace close. Some place they could get to and he could kill things… or at least pound them into the ground. Anything. Even hearing Max's voice…

"He said it's going to be a couple of hours." Max said. "Listen, can you come over? Like right now?" God, why did she say that, she was totally taking advantage of the situation. She should just lock herself up in a room for the next twelve hours.... "Please?"

Max said please? "Yeah, are you alright?" He asked as he took the money out to pay his tab for the night, and tossed it onto the bar. "You know what, explain it when I get there. I'm on my way." He said and handed the phone back to the bartender. "Gotta run." He told her. "Maybe next time." He had been looking forward to an evening exploring where the rest of her piercings were too. Oh well. Friends came first. Yeah that was it… friends. Remember that, Alec. You are friends. Just friends.

This was ridiculous. She knew that, utterly ridiculous. The best she'd come up with was that she was following some biological imperative genetically programmed into her by those sons of bitches at Manticore. It had never been this bad.

She'd never been around other transgenics when it had happened either.

At least at Manticore there was something in the food or water that suppressed it. No one wanted their top soldiers going at it in the middle of a war zone after all.

God what was taking him so long?

Alec knocked on the door. He was wondering what was up. Instinctively he knew what was up. He was, after all, part tom cat… and she had warned him. He hadn't realized she meant that it was coming on, but … wow…

This was the last place he should be going, if that was the case. But what if it wasn't that? What if she needed him for… well… something normal? But why would she say please? Max never said please. Usually thank you came grudgingly a couple days later. But please just wasn't something she ever said to him. So he knew it was important.

So here he was. Knocking on her door, and feeling like a heel because he knew. He KNEW what state she was in. He was surprised there weren't half a dozen transgenic tom cats lurking at her door waiting for the opportunity that he was thinking he shouldn't be standing here waiting for.

He was going to hell. That was all there was to it. If there was a hell… and if transgenics had souls… he was going there. Because this was so wrong… And when it was all over, Max was going to be the one to send him there.

She'd nearly talked herself out of it. Really. She was taking advantage of the effect she knew she would have on him. He was going to hate her in the morning. This was not a good idea. Maybe she'd just slip out...

Then he knocked at her door. She could nearly smell him through the door, a smell that was purely Alec that carried over the normal smells in the building she was able to ignore. The mold, the burned cooking, the neighbor who refused to shower, the marijuana, tobacco and alcohol, Alec somehow overrode all those scents until she was pulling him through the door and kissing him.

It had been in him to tell her no. He had intended to have the steel will to tell her it was a bad idea. That she would regret it in the morning. Then she was kissing him and pulling him to her. All intelligent thought flew out the window. There was a soft low growl from somewhere, he didn't quite realize it was emanating from him.

His hands roamed, mouth tasted, breathing in the smell of her, as they made their way toward the bedroom. They bumped into furniture, pinned each other against walls as they went. It was as much a battle for dominance as it was foreplay.

Hours later the apartment was an absolute mess. Clothes strewn about, an end table in pieces, anything that was on the counter was on the floor, shower curtain ripped....Cindy looked around absolutely amazed. And followed the ringing cell phone.

"Yeah, she's in the shower." Cindy lied. "No problem, Logan, I'll tell her." She said and hung up Max's cell phone, heading into Max's room. She didn't know who she expected to see there, but definitely NOT who she found there. "Oh my god." She said. "Wow. Um, well, if anyone cares," she said to the half dozing, totally nude couple tangled up in the sheets, "Logan called, no hits yet. He's leaving hourly updates on your voice mail."

"Thanks Cindy." Alec said as he snuggled in closer to Max. Two heart beats later his eyes flew open "Cindy! Ahm… hi… wow ahm… " His heart pounded and he looked over at Max. Was she going to kill him now? Oh god, she was going to kill him for taking advantage of her like this.

"Wow." Cindy repeated with a raised eyebrow. "I can see why the straight girls swoon if it's any consolation." She said with a chuckle. She guessed Joshua was right.

"Thanks." Max said about the message and glanced at Alec, eyes filled with guilt. Oh he was going to let her have it now, this was not going to go well. Maybe she should tell Cindy to leave the building....

"Yeah, well, I'll be out in the living room. Trying to pick up." Cindy said as she walked back out.

"Max…" Alec began, hoping there was some way to back pedal out of this and save his anatomy. But the problem was, he didn't really want to back pedal out. It was a no win situation. He had taken advantage of her. He hadn't intended to, he really had intended to tell her no, but then she… and then she…he drew in a deep breath at the memory of it all "Yeah… I ahm… think she pretty much sized it up with… wow."

"Alec...." she said with a sigh. "This is maybe the last time you'll hear me say it and mean it, but I'm sorry. I totally took advantage of the situation, and if you hate me, I can...understand that, I guess. Guess I....figured you could do better than a bartender with interesting piercings." Talk about awkward. She'd been through plenty of awkwardness with Logan to know that it never worked out in the end. Besides, what was it Alec always said? That whole carpe diem thing? And hey, if it didn't pan out, she'd later blame pheremones. That sounded good.

"Max… " he paused to collect his thoughts. This wasn't a time to stick his foot in his mouth. "I don't hate you… and to be honest, I was just thinking you were going to be pissed at me for taking advantage of you." He said and brushed the hair back from her face. "And I did a lot better than a bartender with interesting piercings. A lot better."

She smiled. "Yeah you did." She said. "I'm gonna go help Cindy pick the place up, I think we broke her lamp. And you...you need to take a shower. You smell like a whore house." She said with a laugh.

"I'll try to save you some hot water. I'm not the only one." He said, smiling in return as he got out of bed and started toward the bathroom, picking up a towel from the back of a chair.

Max pulled on some clothes (she'd have to find the clothes she was wearing previously) and headed out to the living room and started straightening up. "So Logan doesn't have anything on the cell phone yet? It's our only lead. There are only over 500 lakes and reservoirs in this state alone." She said to Cindy.

"Yeah, and how many phone booths you think are around each of those lakes? Cut the man some slack, girl. So… you and Alec?" She asked, glancing back toward the bathroom and the sound of water running.

"Sorry about your lamp." Max said. "I'll get you another one. Promise." She said. "I'm not bashing Logan, just saying, I hoped something would come up, that's all."

"Yeah, a'aight. But still… you and Alec? Is this cool or is it gonna get wacky?" She asked, worried about whether or not Max and Alec were going to start arguing and fighting for real now.

"I don't know." Max said honestly. "It's the damn cat DNA. My whole plan was to just wall myself in here until it passed. But you know me when I'm alone, I start thinking. And then the thoughts start to wander, and then I call him up. And he thinks he took advantage of me? I begged him to come over here, and if it was anyone else other than Alec, they might have broken something. I'm serious."

"Yeah well, you two better figure it out before it gets weird." Cindy said. "You know… you and Logan weird. Cause girl, you don't need the drama. That's all I'm sayin'." And it wasn't just Max that could get hurt. Alec had grown on her over time, as had the rest of Max's transgenic friends. They all had enough to worry about with out adding to it.

"Logan and I are done." Max said. "I meant it when I ended it, it wasn't just the virus, it's just everything, you know? He's a great guy, he really is, but I just didn't feel normal with him."

"Do you feel normal around your boy?" She asked as she gathered up the pieces of the end table. Well, at least Alec could keep up. And yeah, it would make more sense for them to hook up. Especially now.

"I don't feel as much like a freak." Max said. "I mean, sure, he's got this obnoxious side, definitely. And a smart ass mouth to top it off. But still, he's a freak like me."

"Yeah well, next time the two of you decide to get your mutual freak on, try not to break the furniture." She said with a faint smile. "You know the only two people that didn't see this coming was you and Alec."

"Now you're being ridiculous." Max said as she moved the couch back to its rightful place. "I mean, come on, really? The first six months I knew him I couldn't stand him."

Cindy laughed. "Yeah, and that's why you kept running after his ass to pull it out of the fire. We both know why you couldn't stand him at first and it had nothing to do with that mouth of his. Although that's pretty much why I couldn't stand him the first few months you know him."

"Okay, meeting my own clone put things in perspective for me." Max allowed. "But come on, I know you're not into outdoor plumbing, but he's also hot."

"I suppose I could see where a straight girl like yourself could find that appealing." She said. "Especially that time of the year." She laughed a little as she picked up the pieces of her lamp. "Tell me it was at least worth your time. Not that I can imagine how, but dish while the waters still running."

"If I weren't a revved up girl, I wouldn't be walking right now." She said with a laugh as she helped pick up pieces of the lamp. "Definitely something to look into even when it's not that time of year. I can understand why Marina and Little Suki were up in arms."

The water stopped, and Cindy just grinned but motioned for Max to shush unless she wanted Alec to over hear. "Yeah well, the two of you owe me a lamp… but it ain't no big deal. So long as you don't make a habit of wrecking the place."

"Promise." Max said. "He better have saved me some hot water or I'll have to back on that promise. Hot water trumps everything else."

"There's hot water." Alec said as he came out, towel wrapped around his waist and toweling his hair dry. "I have a survival instinct hard wired in, no matter what you might think." He said with a grin. You just didn't come between a woman and the hot water.

"Thanks." Max said and headed for the shower. OC held up Alec's underwear.

"You'll be looking for these soon, right? Somehow they were in the kitchen."

Alec blushed and took the underwear. "Thanks." He said with a smile. "Don't suppose you've seen my shirt around here?" He asked. He knew none of his clothes had made it into the bedroom.

"Over by the door." Cindy said as she found his pants. "Straight up? That's my best friend in the shower. I always got her back. You hurt her, and I'll hurt you in ways that will have you begging for Manticore, got it?"

"Yes ma'am." He said, gathering up the rest of his clothing. He could say that he had no intention to hurt Max, but then Max had never had any intentions to hurt Logan and it had happened. Life didn't always work out the way you wanted it to. People got hurt. Intentions didn't matter.

She handed him his jeans. "That's all right. You just won me a hundred bucks from Sketchy anyway. He said after hell froze over, I said definitely before." Cindy said with a grin. "And now I can have the bartender's undivided attention. Right now, it's not a lose-lose situation for Original Cindy."

He chuckled softly. "Hope it stays that way for everyone involved." He still didn't know what the status of their relationship was. Was it just sex, was it the beginning of a relationship, the end of a friendship? Now he had to just play it cool until it sorted itself out. He headed for the bedroom to get dressed.

OC shook her head as Alec headed toward the bedroom. The tension might be gone, but she was willing to bet it was now replaced with a whole other tension. Hopefully it would sort itself out cleanly, but she wasn't counting on it. But she had one more thing to say, especially given Alec's reputation as she leaned against the half opened door, giving him the semblance of privacy (though she'd already seen it all). "You know, Max was in a serious relationship once. Before Logan. To a complete dick. Sure, he didn't know about her then, none of us did. But he cheated on her. Now if she crosses his path, sometimes violent things happen. So if you're gonna be with Max, keep that in mind, 'kay?"

"If we are going to be together, as in seriously together, I won't go sniffing after another woman. I don't know if this means we're an item or if she just felt safe enough with me to ride out the storm with me. I don't know if she knows either. So… we'll take it as it comes and see where it goes."

OC listened as the shower stopped running and looked at Alec, peeking around the door. "We never had this conversation." She managed to get out before the bathroom door opened and Max came out, wrapped in a towel and brushing her hair.

Alec finished dressing. "Hey." He said, smiling at Max. He sat down on the bed watching her. "You okay?" He asked. He knew that they were okay with it… but he still had to ask.

"I'm..." She said, then smiled. "You know, I actually am. You're totally helping me find another lamp just like that one, but yeah, I am okay. Unless you're not, in which this becomes incredibly awkward."

"I'm good." He said with a relaxed smile. "And once we figure out where the boys are, we'll start tracking down the lamp." Alec lay back on the bed. "So before I make an ass of myself… was this just the heat, or is this maybe something more?" Normally the question wouldn't even come out of his mouth. Normally he wouldn't stay all night. Or worry about whether or not the woman wanted a next time. But this was Max. This was different.

"Both." Max said. "The heat made me call you last night. But I was considering it on my own last week. Once I got past the Ben thing, and the Logan thing, and some of the Alec things, I don't know, just kinda happened. Why'd you come over?"

"You said please." He said sheepishly. "I figured it must be important if you said please." He told her honestly. "I thought it might be the heat, because I've been getting that… vibe…all day. " He propped up on one elbow. "I've been thinking about you for a while. Since I got back from Manticore."

She finished dressing and flopped on the bed on her back. "So for all we know it could be some sort of subliminal programming then." She said She wouldn't put it past Manticore, or Lydecker especially, to do something like that.

"No." Alec said. "It's not that." He said quickly and firmly. "The last thing he would do is program me to … be emotionally attached to anyone. No, I think it's more that I got a few things in perspective when I finally came round. Between Lydecker and what happened to Rachel."

"And outside this room, everything's falling apart." Max said. The whole world was coming down on transgenics. And eyeing their neighbors, ready to turn them in at the least little hint that they could be X series. Dean and Sam were undergoing some freaky ritual, and they had no idea where the boys were. Manticore was rebuilding, and White and his people were ready to stick bar codes on their butchers' bill.

"We'll make it." He told her, reaching for her hand. "No matter what they throw at us. We will make it." He honestly believed that. He knew there was chaos outside. He knew it was dangerous. But he also knew that he and Max weren't going to go down without a fight. It was finally coming together for the transgenics. They were banding together, and they were designed to come out on top.

"I hope you're right." She said. "Not sure how much longer I can stay here, maybe Joshua had the right idea about TC."

"I think he does. Look… we can check it out. If we don't like it… nothing lost." He suggested. "And when we bring the boys home, we'll just stock up on iodine tablets. Not like the CIA is gonna go looking in Terminal City for two runaway boys."

"Not like any CIA team, even a crack team, would want to infiltrate a city block full of trangenics anyway." Max said. "We can do that. Until Logan comes up with something, not much we can do anyway." They couldn't scout random lakes. Dean and Sam could be hours away, or five minutes away. There was no way to tell.

Cindy fielded the calls for max from Logan just because it would be awkward, even for her it would be awkward under the circumstances, until a call came sometime close to midnight. "He's got the location of the phone booth." She said.


	11. Reunions

It was over before he knew it. The whole damn ritual they'd been preparing him for, his part had taken seconds, if that.

Then he was taken to a back room, and watched by the priestess and member of the Conclave.

But he wanted his dad, as he felt fire burning through his veins

Not really the metaphorical kind, where you feel amped up and powerful, but nearly literal fire burning through his veins, starting at the point where he'd been marked and coursing through the rest of his body.

He was shaking, he felt cold, he felt hot. He hurt and he wanted his dad.

An aristocratic looking woman, with severely short hair, looked on and shook her head. She doubted John Winchester's oldest would make it through the night. She sighed and looked at a guard.

"Go fetch his father." She said. John Winchester was on the grounds, having overseen the successful aftermath of Samuel's initiation. Now, he'd have to say good bye to his other son.

"Dad...." Dean said through his fever as he pulled the blanket around him tighter. "I want my dad...."

"He's coming." A medical person said. These results, though unusual, were not uncommon or unheard of. And legally speaking, it was useful to have a real doctor to sign the death certificate, even if there was nothing he could do.

"Sammy...."

"Your brother made it through." The woman said. "Have no fear for him, he's fine. Worry about yourself." She hated her position right now. She was the one that would have to tell John Winchester that his son was weak. He wasn't strong enough, he was going to fail the test. And the man had a temper. Of old Mid-west stock, in a situation like this, she wouldn't put it past him to strike a woman, even though she wouldn't be at fault.

He had been the one that had passed on the weak genes after all.

"I'm going with you." Sam told his father. If Dean was sick, Sam was going to be there. He needed to see his brother, make sure he was going to be alright. "She doesn't know Dean. He won't die. Dean gets sick and always pulls through." Sam insisted. "He isn't gonna die, Dad. But he is gonna need both of us."

John sighed. He was going to lose his son… and if he didn't take Sam with him to say good bye, he would lose his younger son as well. Just not physically. "Dean is very sick Sam. You have to be prepared for the worse. Do you really want to be there if he isn't going to make it? Something like that… you can't unsee it, Sam."

"I'm going with you." He insisted. "Especially if Dean is gonna… is… He's not gonna die."

The woman didn't approve, Dean was best forgotten about by all parties. But she'd leave the boy's father to deal with that later. "Follow me." She said and led them to a dimly lit chamber where they'd placed Dean. She looked at John as they entered the room. "It's unfortunate, but these things happen. You know that." She said as she stepped away to give them room.

Dean had quieted and she took that as a bad sign. Flushed with fever and deathly white at the same time, she hoped he'd pass fast.

"Dean, we're here, son… we're here." John said as he stroked his son's hair. "You're gonna be alright. Sometimes people get sick with this. That's all. You're gonna be fine." John didn't believe it, but he had to give his son as much hope as possible, encourage him to fight through it.

Sam swallowed hard, and took his brother's hand. "Yeah… I need you Dean… so you gotta get better."

Dean could hear them, it was like listening through pillows though. But this was the dad he remembered. Whenever he got sick, or Sam got sick, or either of them got hurt, their father would stay up all night with them, and blow off any hunt, to keep watch over them. This was the father he wanted back. He squeezed Sam's hand, or more correctly he commanded his fingers to, but they disobeyed him.

Damn traitors.

The woman touched John lightly on his shoulder. "The priestess needs your other son now." She gently reminded him. "She's been moved by the spirit and would like him by her side now." She felt bad for the man, he'd lose one son, have to relinquish the other, and be left only with a clone.

"She's gonna have to wait." John said sharply. He wasn't going to give up Sam just yet. Not like this. Not with his brother laying here like this. The priestess could take her spirit and move it where the sun didn't shine for all he cared.

The look in Sam's eyes echoed his father's words. Sam had no intention of leaving his brother. Not now, not ever. Certainly not to go off with some freakish bald priestess who liked playing with snakes… who made his brother sick in the first place.

"I can stall her for a few minutes." She said. Hopefully the elder Winchester boy would be dead by then as she left the room to stall as best she can. She didn't succeed as the priestess came in with the flame yellow eyes.

"I want the boy now." She commanded. "You have five minutes to deliver him." She said, and swept back out, cradling her snake.

John's blood ran cold. Yellow eyes. Yellow eyes… the demon. The priestess was possessed by the yellow eyed Demon. Azazel wanted his son…

He picked Dean up and hefted him into a fireman's carry. He pulled a gun and handed it to his younger son. "I'm getting the two of you out of here." He said drawing a second weapon. "Stay close. Anyone touches you, you shoot them. Don't ask questions, don't think twice, you just shoot, do you understand me, boy?"

"Yes, sir." Sam said as he checked the weapon as his father had taught him to do.

Dean groaned as he was lifted up and put over his father's shoulders. He was slipping in and out, but he knew he was moving. He could smell his father's aftershave, so his father was moving him. He just didn't know why as his father led Sam through the passages into the main building.

John took the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Sam. "Get the car running as soon as we get to it, I'm going to get Dean into the back seat." He took out his cell phone. "Mrs Evans, please have our things packed by the time we get there. Yes, both boys were successful, so I'm rewarding them with a trip. Make sure our passports are available." Not that he'd use them, but it was all part of a cover. "We'll be there shortly. After that, you can leave. No, don't call David, it's a surprise."

Sam clutched the keys tightly. This was the father he remembered. That was why he didn't question. Didn't say a word, he just obeyed. He kept his eyes open and the gun at ready, as he had been taught. "Regular rounds?" He asked finally and receive a short nod from his father. "She's possessed, isn't she?" Another short nod. "It's gonna be okay, Dean. Dad's back. He's gonna get us out of here." He said to his brother. "We're really going home this time."

"Dad!" David said. "What are you doing? You're ruining everything! Dean's dying, and I'm sorry for that, I really am, but this is important and you know it. It's why we did everything!"

"It's all a lie, David." John said. "Everything, from the beginning has been a lie. That bitch is possessed by the demon that killed your mother. I'm not going to give Sam over into its hands. Now you can either go with us or you can get the hell out of my way. I love you, but I'm not sacrificing them. Your choice, son."

"I can't let you do this." David said and pulled out his gun. The one his father always insisted on carrying with him. "This is important, you know that. Thousands of years of careful breeding and paying tribute and you want to ruin it over sentiment over a dead woman who should have died after Sam was born anyway! You know the rules! Take Dean if you want, Sam, come with me."

"No way." Sam said. "Go to hell." He said as he pulled the trigger. He knew his father wouldn't be able to shoot David. He had raised him as his son. Sam, of all people, knew how his father protected his boys. Even if it didn't look like it.

John looked horror stricken as David fell clutching a wound. "I'm sorry, son… it has to be this way." He said and started to usher Sam out the door.

"Dad!" David said and took out his cell phone. "I couldn't stop them, they're headed out the east door by the street." He said.

John's jaw was clenched as he carried his first born. He had no choice but to leave his oldest there. Maybe later, they could make some sort of amends. But he wasn't relinquishing Sam, especially not to a demon. "There's the car." He nodded to Sam. "Go start her up." He felt more than saw the shadows filling behind him. A carry over from actual wars he'd fought. Those shadows would be armed, and they would be people he knew, had once considered friends. "Hurry!"

Sam took off at a run, sprinting across the grounds literally faster than he had ever run in his life. He got into the front seat and stretched to reach the pedals as he started the car for his father, as he had done many times before. He looked over his shoulder at his father and brother and saw the forms coming at them. He put the car into gear and hit the gas hard enough that the tires spun on pavement before getting enough traction to move forward, then over the curb onto the lawn moving toward his family, hoping to get there before it was too late.

John didn't hear the shots, silencers of course, but he felt them. He fell to one knee as one hit him, and with a groan forced himself back up, stumbling with another shot. He couldn't afford to stop and return fire. Not with Dean on his shoulder and Sam in the car. Their safety was all that mattered now, he'd been a fool. He had been, he realized that now, to turn his back on what he knew to be the truth just for that sense of familiarity and semblance of community after he'd lost everything. Or thought he had. Now it just might really cost him.

He reached the car, and clutched the door as he painfully swung Dean into the backseat. "Move over." He said to Sam, moving the seat back and flooring it before he had even closed the driver door.

Sam looked over into the back seat at Dean. He then reached for the cell phone in his father's pocket. "I have to call for help." Sam said, he knew that Max and Alec would come to help them. His father was wounded. And it didn't look good. He didn't want to lose him again, or his brother.

"Who are you calling?" John asked, ignoring pain as he always did. "Are you calling one of them?" The transgenics. "Which one? Tell me which one, Sam."

"Alec. I'm calling Alec." Sam said. "You were wrong about the cult. You were wrong about the transgenics too." He said. "He and Max will help us. Even you." He said and dialed the number he had memorized for Alec.

John grabbed the phone as it rang. "Alec? Is this Alec?" The one that looked like his son. "This is John Winchester. I've got my boys, we're in trouble. Headed on Route 2. Dean's not well, I'm shot, everything is a lie, I have to know right now if I can count on you."

"You can count on me. We're almost there. Tracked the pay phone Dean called us from. Would have been there sooner but he was trying to protect us by not telling us where he was." Alec told him. "There's an abandoned motel on route 2, how far are you from there?" He asked. "Can you make it there?"

"About twenty minutes out. I'll make it." John said and hung up.

"And we know this isn't a trap....how?" Max asked Alec.

"We don't." Alec said. "But do we really want to risk the boys if it's not? " He asked her. "We go in cautious. He is 20 minutes out. We're 10. We'll see them arrive. If Winchester is bleeding, we know it's real."

Max shook her head, but they headed to the motel and set up shop for either outcome.

John Winchester tossed the phone on the seat between him and Sam. "Check on your brother." He said through a groan as the Impala hit a particularly nasty pot hole.

Sam didn't argue as he climbed over the seat into the back. It wasn't the first time his Dad had driven in that condition. He just hoped it wouldn't be the last.

"Dean?" Sam said as he knelt in the floorboards . He touched his brother's face, wiping away the sweat. "Can you hear me?" He asked.

"Sam?" Dean asked. He had no idea where he was. More correctly when he was. Was he back to where he came from? Was he dead? Was Heaven really traveling in the Impala? Couldn't be hell, right? "I wasn't strong enough."

"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that. You are gonna be fine. I know you will. Kids get sick. It happens. They said it happened. You're just sick. You're not dying." He was scared, but he wouldn't give up on his brother "Max and Alec are coming to help. Dad talked to Alec."

"I'm not dead?" Dean asked. "Thought I was dead, and back in the Impala. Except I am. And I'm not dead. Dad talked to Alec? Hell hasn't frozen yet? What's going on?"

"The priestess was possessed by the yellow eyed demon." Sam said. "She wanted to take me, but Dad wouldn't let her. He got shot and we are on our way to meet up with Alec. It's gonna be okay. Dad is… he's Dad again… it's gonna be okay."

Pulling on his brother, Dean forced himself up to a sitting position and leaned against the door. "Dad? You're back? I mean the dad we knew?" He asked. "Am I going to die?"

John looked into the rearview mirror. "Yes I am back and no you aren't going to die." He said and smiled into the mirror. "You're getting better already. Half an hour ago you were fading fast, son. You're getting better. You are going to live. More than strong enough." He didn't have so much hope for himself at the moment.

"So no more stuffy school?" Dean asked. He leaned forward and rested his head against the back of his dad's seat, then straightened up. "You're bleeding. Why are you bleeding? Sam, he's bleeding." He'd felt some blood on the seat.

"Dad got shot." Sam said. "While I was getting the car."

"Not the first time, won't be the last." John said. "And no… no more stuffy school We are gonna have to go on the run again boys. I'm sorry." That wasn't all he was sorry for, but this wasn't the time. Not like this.

"It's all right." Dean said as he leaned against the back seat again. "At least we're a family."

Max peered out the window as the Impala pulled up. John Winchester got out. Went to the backseat, and in attempting to lift Dean out, stumbled and had to try again. "He is hurt." Max said to Alec.

"Let's go." He said and headed out the door scanning the area as he moved toward the Impala."Sam, room 102, go!" Alec said as he moved in to provide a supporting arm to Winchester, keeping him on his feet as he carried his son. He knew the man wouldn't relinquish Dean just yet. Not until he was sure they were safe.

John didn't speak, jaw tight with the effort to keep standing and not drop his son until he set Dean upon the dusty bed. "You have to understand, I was raised in it." He said. I was indoctrinated, I was brainwashed, I thought the anger over my wife's death was what fully broke me from it, and that the only way to heal after losing the boys was to go back. But Mary was right, it's a cult, a dangerous cult that has no place in the world. It'll destroy the world." He said as he checked Dean over. "They promised me they could find my boys. When I found out Manticore had them, they promised they'd get them back. But not for me, for them. You can't understand, it sounds insane even to say it, that thing, that son of a bitch that killed Mary...." He shook his head and slowly sat down next to Dean and pulled Sam to him. "Don't let the cult get them."

He was elderly by most standards, over sixty five years old. He'd been shot. He knew there was no patching him up now.

"We can get you to a hospital." Max said.

John shook his head. "They'll find the boys."

"No. We'll make sure they don't find the boys. We'll get you to a hospital under an assumed name, we'll take the boys with us. Let us help you." Alec said as he moved to look over the injuries, he and Max were both trained as field medics. They had to look after their unit after all. "Max, see if you can't find some tubing. We can keep this from killing him right away if we can get more blood into him."

"In the trunk." John said. "There's a med bag." He grinned slightly at Sam. "Old habits die hard." He said as the female transgenic went out to get the bag. "Dean's getting better. He woke up briefly in the car. If he was going to die, he'd be dead by now. But I know my boy, he's not going to go down this way."

"Yeah, well, neither are you. Move over to this other bed and off with the jacket and shirt. Let's see about getting that bullet out before we pump you full of my blood." Alec said. "Gotta say, glad you saw the light finally. We were having a hell of a time figuring out how we were gonna hide the kids from the CIA."

"You couldn't have." John said as he painfully took off his jacket and shirt. "Everything they know, I taught them. And over the years, I've rewritten all the books on intelligence and covers." Three bullet wounds, one on the left, two on the right. "Sam, see about your brother. Find some water, he's going to be thirsty."

Sam looked at his father. The man was trying to get him out of the room, but he let him "There's some bottled water in the car." He said and reluctantly left the room.

"Which is still going to pose a problem, isn't it?" Alec said as he inspected the wounds. "And I seriously hope you believe that drivel you taught Dean… about pain being a phantom of the mind, because this is gonna friggin hurt." He said before going for the first bullet.

"Pain is a phantom of the mind." John said. "Got me through boot camp. Through Nam. Through more hunts than I can even count. It's just a release of endorphins and other chemicals to enforce body rest and safety. Sometimes you have to move beyond that." He said, barely flinching as the first bullet was pulled out. "You learn to control that, through meditation and mantras, you can control everything else."

"You get used to the pain after a while." Alec said. "But I was never able to convince myself that it didn't exist. Just that it was something to deal with." He went for the second bullet while Max prepared the tubing and needles for transfusions. "That little mantra almost got Dean killed, though. He didn't tell us when he was hurting, and his wound was infected. Don't pull the same stunt. At your age, an infection will do you in faster than we can get the antibiotics down you."

John chuckled and shook his head.

"So who's giving blood?" Max asked.

"Alec." Dean said from the bed. "He mostly based off me, he'd be closer to the type, right?"

"Doesn't matter. All transgenics are universal donors." He said. "But yeah, it's gonna be me." He said, finishing with the last bullet then stitching and patching. "You're one lucky son of a bitch." He told John. "A lot of blood loss but I don't see anything to indicate any organs were hit." He went to wash his hands before coming back into the room and pulling up a sleeve. "Max is on guard duty. How ya doing over there Dean?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Dean said as Max tied the tourniquet around Alec's arm and inserted the needle, then did the same with John. "It's been a really long day though."

John started laughing at that. "Yeah, I guess it has. More like a long thirty years."

"We have a place… can keep you guys safe for a while. " Alec said. "But this time I have to protect my family. I need to know that you are over this hatred of transgenics and that I can trust you."

"Personally, I'm disgusted that my fourteen year old and my ten year old were used against their will and without my permission to create a race of not quite human super soldiers." John said.

"Dad!" Dean said.

"Dean, he asked my opinion. I'm giving it." He said and looked back at Alec. "That's my opinion, and I realize it's not your fault either, you didn't ask to be created, or have your DNA screwed with and all sorts of animal DNA added. But that's my opinion. I need to keep my family safe, and I need to keep them out of the cult's hands. So if you're asking if I'm going to open the doors and let the Familiars stroll in, how could I do that and keep my boys safe at the same time?"

"Fair enough. At least for me. I can't speak for the others yet, but it's a start. " Alec said honestly as he leaned back against the pillows to relax and let the blood flow. "But you have information that might prove useful. You'll recognize the traps being set. That might be enough to convince the others."

Max was watching the blood flow between the two men and regulated it as she needed to, watching Alec for any sign that he was done. "You want to take him to....there?" She wouldn't say Terminal City. "You should have seen the grief I went through bringing Sam there."

"Which way is better to spin it?" John asked. "That I'm ex Familiar or ex CIA? Frankly you lot are in trouble with both. Sam, get Alec some orange juice before he turns as pale as Dean."

"I'm fine." Dean said.

"Yeah, I've heard that before. And they've heard that before." John pointed out.

"That was also before there was even mingling between X5s and the others. It will work. If not, then we have to come up with something else because they aren't going to get far right now. Not with both Manticore and the cult looking for them."

"Let's just get him patched up and we'll decide after." Max said. She didn't trust John Winchester. And probably never would.

"Once this is done, I need someone to take me to my house." He said. "I need weapons. Files. Not to mention I have the access to fry a couple of databases, slow down their hunt a bit."

"Is that gonna be safe?" Sam asked. "I mean I shot David… he isn't gonna be all friendly and helpful after that and Mrs Evans is a freak show waiting to happen."

Alec took the juice Sam offered him and downed it. "We'll talk to the others." He said. "More than one person should have a say in this." Max liked to think she was the boss, because she had escaped as a child and had been the one to let people out of the cells. But it wasn't that easy. She'd probably eventually get the job, but at this point she was going to have to earn it.

"It'll be fine." John assured Sam. "I can handle David." David subscribed to the same philosophy as his other sons. The yes sir philosophy. David might not come with him, but he wouldn't be much of a hindrance.

Dean drank the water Sam got for him and sat up against the pillows on the bed and just watched everything. "This isn't exactly how I imagined breaking out of the cult."

"It's as good a way as any." Alec said. "No one dies, no one captured." He could think there were less painful ways to go about it, but that didn't matter at this late date. "Okay,… so what effect is the ritual going to have on the boys other than making Dean here sick as a dog… again." He flashed a grin at Dean with the last word to show he was teasing about that part.

John got quiet and pensive. "There were predictions." He said. "I guess we're going to have to see." He didn't want to say anything in front of the boys. Not yet. Not until he saw some sign that it was going to happen.

Alec could see that John wasn't wanting to talk about it in front of the kids. So he didn't push the prophecy thing. Cults always had predictions and prophecies. Usually so that they could control their members. "Are you and they going to exhibit the same strength and speed that White does? You said you were an ex Familiar. What are they?" He breathed through a dizzy spell. "We're about done here. No point incapacitating us both. "

"Familiars. That's what we're called. We're based off an old Minoan religion in Ancient Crete, preparing for the end of days, like all religions. We just do it by making sure we have the tools to survive." John said as Max clamped off the tubing and removed Alec's needle. John's stayed in, they might need it later. "Careful selective breeding, we've got antibodies in our blood."

"Makes you immune to the snake." Max said. "Yeah, I know." There had been an incident in the hospital after she'd been shot. She wasn't sure if it was the virus to kill Logan or the antibodies activated by her encounter with the Familiars that set them off.

"Every once in a while, the antibodies don't get passed down. When exposed, the children die. Some get sick. Some sail through it like Sam. At the end of the day, the venom activates something in our DNA. We're from a bunch of lines. There are the politicians, I hate them. Wind bags, but highly intelligent. The scientists, the psychics, the fighters....my father was a fighter. My mother was a psychic. My boys could be either, both or neither. Every other generation we have children with someone outside the religion, stops us from having two headed babies. Their mother wasn't one of us."

"And that's what took you away from the cult. Their mother." Alec said. "You and White were talking about a coming storm once. What did you mean by that?" He asked, taking another glass of orange juice.

"Their mother was a hunter. She was chosen because she was strong. I loved her because her heart was the strongest I've ever seen. I left my family and everything else behind because that was her one request of me, said they all gave her the willies. She was right. And I loved her so much." He said and shook his head. "Coming storm. End of days. The Bible calls it Armageddon. Signs have been around for a while, just no one noticed them, or cared. Everything's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better."

"Armageddon. Are you telling me that demons are real? That it wasn't just something you told the boys while you were on the run from the cult early on?" He really did think the man was crazy. But they needed him around for the boys' sake. And for the information in his head. The genuine information.

"I wasn't on the run from the cult. I was tracking a demon. Because they're real. Look at you two. Perfect example of something that shouldn't exist. An amalgam of human, cat, shark, who knows what else? And you're sitting here, conversating, reasonably intelligent. Why is it so hard to believe that something outside your range of experience might exist?" John said. "Demons, angels, shape shifters, malevolent spirits, werewolves, I've battled them all. Well, not the angels. Never seen one, but if there are demons, there have to be angels. It's all politics. Anyway, Armageddon. It's just a term, really, Hebrew for Mount of Megiddo, where many decisive battles occurred in ancient times. Where everything will be decided upon for everyone, in one battle. The language is fancy, and limited by man, but everything's coming to a head now. Chosen children, special abilities, warriors trained beyond all comprehension. You have no idea what's coming. It's going to be hell on earth."

Alec looked at Max and could tell that she thought he was completely off his rocker. "Not to be an ass, but is there anyway to prove that they exist? I know you battled something. Dean has battled something, but for all I know it was another set of government grown grade a freaks. There are some of us out there that have … very not human appearance and very not human abilities. Easy to mistake."

"They weren't around in 1983." John said, flatly. "A demon killed my wife. Look, the way it's supposed to go is you have two miscarriages or still births. We did that. A healthy birth. Occasionally a second healthy birth. But then the person from outside the cult is supposed to die. I couldn't do it, I wouldn't do it. So they did it for me. The same thing that runs the initiations is the same thing that killed my wife. A goddamn demon. I saw it in 1983 and I saw it again tonight. That's when I realized the two were related, and that's when I saw the light as you put it. Now, either I'm crazy, which means I'm wrong, which means I had no reason to leave everything behind. Or I'm right and I know how to fight not only the Familiars, the government, but the demon pulling the strings of all of them. Which is it?"

"Or you are crazy, and the cult is still a bad idea because they want to steal your children." Alec said. "Okay… for now we agree to disagree about the demon thing. I can't wrap my brain around that at the moment. For now let's just focus on getting us back to your place to pick up your gear and wipe that database. "

"You can't wrap your head around it? But expect everyone else in the world to wrap their heads around the idea of soldiers made in labs, but really, they come in peace?" John scoffed as he pulled on his shirt and his jacket. "Let's go. Dean needs a bit more rest, then we can move him.

"I'm fine." Dean said.

"Rest." John ordered.

"But..."

"No buts."

"Yes sir."

"Well, you said you wanted Dad back." Sam said. "There he is." He grinned a little at his older brother.

"Actually, I would rather people didn't wrap their brain around it. I want them to disbelieve we even exist. People knowing is what's causing us to be hunted. No matter what we are like. People don't care what we have done or haven't done. They see a bar code they want you dead." Alec said pushing himself into the upright position. The dizziness was already fading as his body healed from the blood loss. "But you know… you can convince me later."

"I look forward to it." John said. "Let's go. I already dismissed the housekeeper, and hopefully David believes I'm not stupid enough to go back to the house."

"You drive, I'll keep watch." He said as he grabbed his weapons. Max didn't approve of guns. Alec didn't have those qualms. He was a soldier. That he would never disagree with. He wasn't even ashamed of it. He just didn't want to be a slave and that's what Manticore was. Slavery.

John got into the Impala, feeling every bit his sixty six years and headed back to Seattle. "I'm descended from two lines." John said as he drove in the darkness. "Warrior and psychic. I'm not psychic. I don't expect Dean to be. Sam, he's the demon's chosen one. The whole damn religion's chosen one. He's going to bring on the end of days, so the theory goes. If they're right, he should start having night mares. Then it'll progress to hallucinations during the day. They're visions. He'll eventually develop telekinesis, telepathy, mind control, the whole gamut. Dean? If this ritual worked, he might be able to kick your ass by next week. That's what I didn't want to say in front of them."

"Makes sense… Psy Ops has several varieties of psychics trained there. Those that control peoples minds, the ones that can move things. The X7s might communicate telepathically. We thought it was that there was too much bat in their cocktail, but if that was hard wired into Sam's DNA, it might be where it was gotten from. I guess we pay attention when the kid wakes up with night terrors. What about David? Being Sam's clone is he someone we need to deal with before this end of days scenario begins?"

"David is....muted." John said. "The Familiars were tracking Sandeman, nearly caught him. He'd been cloning my sons and fooling with their DNA...that's where you come in. They flash bombed the facility, found David alive and gave him to me, nearly as a consolation prize. But make no mistake, he is my son and I love him. He's muted, but he's still powerful. So I think we may need to deal with him."

"Yeah, well, technically so is the human part of me." Alec pointed out. "Don't get too clouded in your judgment because of that. But… is there any chance he can be… brought around to your current point of view?" He asked. He didn't like David. But he was the man's son. Of all people Alec wasn't going to argue the definition of family.

"Oh probably as much as I could convince Dean and Sam of my former point of view." John said. "I'm thinking I was taken for a ride by them the entire time. No doubt David would do the same. He can't be trusted, I trained him too well."

Alec nodded. "Glad we agree on that." The can't be trusted part. "I'm amazed at how well you trained Dean to forge. He does beautiful work. People have been missing him back in Seattle, let me tell you." He said letting go of the intense interrogation at the moment.

"Well, we traveled a lot when I'd hunt. And I needed identification to get into certain places, so I made my own. One night, I think he was about eight, he asked to help, so I taught him. Winchester bonding at its finest." He said with a laugh. "I'm not surprised there are people missing him, even without the forgeries, he's a lovable kid. So is Sam. Somehow I managed not to screw that up."

"They are great kids. Max, Joshua and I love them. Smart, street wise…loving. It was hard for us to let them go back to you. We didn't want to, you know. Because of the cult. We didn't want them anywhere near you."

"I gathered that from the lecture you two gave me on them." John said dryly. "But thank you. Helped remind me of what's most important, and that's them." He said as he killed the lights and pulled into his dark driveway. "Let's make this fast. I had the housekeeper pack. She's meticulous, so they should be by the doors, I'm going to my office."

"On it." Alec said but approached the house with gun drawn. He knew a trap was possible. All it would take would be a phone call to White,, and the house would be watched. He let John lead the way and, as predicted the bags were seated by the door. Alec bent to look through them, checking each bag carefully for tracking and listening devices.

John went to his office and booted up his lap top. The computer reserved solely for CIA business, the Familiars had no access to it, because it was so monitored. He entered his clearance then reached into his desk and found the virus disk. With a sigh he inserted it into the drive and let it run havoc through the system, erasing any mention of his sons, of Manticore, of himself from the entire government data base. Because if they could trace Manticore, they could trace his sons.

Alec repacked the bags and was waiting when John arrived, having gathered three tracking devices from the bags. He figured he could plant them on another car, preferably a government car, and let the cult hunt for them there. "Let's go."

John came with a couple of burned data disks and a large army duffel bag full of weapons. "They're not going to let Sam go without a fight. And they'd probably like Dean back if only so they could put him out to stud." He said as he put everything in the trunk. "This place you have in mind, is it secure?"

"All depends on how you look at it. It could be made stronger. But no one knows we're there and if they did… what moron wants to barge in on upwards of a hundred transgenics?" He said. "We need to find a place to ditch these." He said, indicating the tracking devices.

"The whole transgenic and transhuman program was made in the image of the Familiars." He said, answering Alec's question. "Well, I know where one Manticore vehicle is. We could sic them on each other for the time being."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Alec said, giving John a broad grin very much reminiscent of Dean. "If they think you have gone to Manticore for protection from them… it could keep them off your backs for a few months."

John was unnerved by the grin. It was so much like Dean's, it was scary. Brought back that nature versus nurture argument. How much of Dean was Dean because of his genes, and how much of Dean was Dean because of his environment.

"And Manticore would have a whole other problem on its hands. It's officially a black ops. It's off the books, but the government officials who are also Familiars will try to burn them out." John said. "Especially if I'm there. My security clearance is, or was, second only to the director himself." Because he was damn good at his job. He drove to a diner and pointed out the black, government issue car. "There it is. The guy comes here for breaks. I know, I sicced him on you guys. Had to. If Manticore was too busy rounding you up, they wouldn't focus so much on my sons."

"Nice. Well, at least it wasn't the time I was captured." He said and opened the door. "Be back in a sec." He said as he slipped out of the car, being careful not to be seen as he moved to the black car and secured the tracking devices to the undercarriage of the car. He was back in the Impala in less than a minute.

"Well, at the time, it was better you than them." John said honestly. And he didn't regret his decision. "Obviously now I have to rethink that track. Let's get back there before the Familiars come en masse, and they will. I'm old, but I'm not easy to take down." He had gotten his boys to safety with three bullets in his back after all.

The ride back to the motel was a quiet one. Neither man knew what was on the horizon, but they both knew that it was war. The only thing uncertain was the battle ground. Neither would have changed the actions they had taken. But life had just taken a sharp left turn and that handbasket they were riding in was on a one way track to hell.

He pulled into the motel parking lot and carefully maneuvered the Impala into part of the collapsed structure. "We'll stay here tonight, let Dean get back on his feet." He said. "How far is this place from here?"

"We're headed back into Seattle." Alec said as he got out of the car, and made his way to the motel room they were taking over for the night. He rapped on the door, and waited for Max to open it. "It's me" He said.

Max opened the door. "They fell asleep a few minutes ago." She said, gesturing to Dean and Sam, who had taken one of the beds and were curled up under what blankets she could find. "Dean's color looks better."

"He's a strong kid." John said. "Even as a small child, he caught whatever was going around. Ear infections, chicken pox, stomach virus or two, never let it slow him down. Even before all this."

"Infections from gunshot wounds." Alec said. "Yeah he's a strong one. In a lot of ways he is stronger than Sam…but he's pretty vulnerable too."

"Sam's the more stubborn of the two." John said as he took off his jacket and his shoes. "I'll sleep over here with them. We've had to do it before."

Alec nodded and kicked off his own shoes and climbed onto the bed. They should be safe enough for the night. He sighed long and low and leaned back against the head board. It was going to be hard to convince the others to let the Winchesters into the fold. He just hoped he could do it, because just like John… he wasn't willing to let those boys disappear from his life.

"I'll take first watch. You just gave blood." Max said with a smile. Transgenics didn't need as much sleep as humans. Even humans like the Winchesters. She watched as John nudged Sam half awake.

"Move over, kiddo." He said softly. "Before your brother sprawls." Even as a toddler, Dean had the innate ability to completely take up a bed, no matter how big. But he also had the gut instinct not to roll over on his little brother.

Sam nodded sleepily and moved in closer to Dean. The three Winchesters nestled in close and drifted off to sleep, looking for all the world like their lives suddenly made sense again. Alec watched them for a few minutes before closing his eyes. Maybe giving them back to their father wasn't such a bad thing after all.


	12. New Beginnings

"You can't seriously expect us to accept this." Said one of the less than human looking transgenics. "The kids, okay, I get that. They were at Manticore, they are hiding from Manticore too, but come on... the father is one of the freakish bastards that White comes from. No matter how much you tell me this is a good idea, I'm telling you the guy is a plant or something."

"Come on... he's here to protect his kids." Mole said. "Besides he's useful." This was actually more important to Mole than anything else. He liked the idea of someone that had seen real war on their side. He liked the idea of someone that knew the inner workings of the government on their side. Not to mention this cult.

"Guys... " Alec said stepping forward. "The fact of the matter is...he's here. He has no love for our enemies, and he's willing to help us as much as we help him. We don't have so many friends out there in the ordinary world that we can afford to turn one away."

"And can I remind you that 'he' is still in the room?" John rumbled from the back. "The fact of the matter is, Manticore wants my children to rebuild. That's right. Everyone in this room owes their very existence to the fact that Manticore took my sons, put them in stasis, extracted cells, and made all of you guys off their DNA one way or another. Whether directly like Alec here, or just perfecting the technique enough to make Mole. And I don't go anywhere without my sons."

"Okay. So you tell us. What do we get out of this deal?" Someone asked. "Other than Manticore and your cult on our asses even more than before? I gotta live here. We all do. You aren't one of us. Yeah, okay, so your kids contributed genetic material, thanks Gramps, but that can't be the only deciding factor."

"The east border will fall down within a year." John said. "The sewers are open to infiltration. There's a silo that can be converted into a watch tower. I found all that on my morning run. I know where weapons depots are. I know where munitions factories are. And I know the ins and outs of every single black ops and covert mission and project our government has done in the last twenty years, up to and including Manticore. I know the Familiars, how they think, how they react, what they'll do. Should I keep going?"

"I'm convinced." Mole said. "Anybody got anything that trumps that, I'm all ears." Someone snickered at that but hushed at a look from the transgenic.

"Okay then that's settled. Great. So we pick out rooms and everyone is happy." Alec said as he ran a hand through his hair. "And then we get to work fixing things."

"I expected it to go worse." John said with a shrug as he went outside the room where Dean and Sam were. He didn't want them in there, he fully expected it to get a whole lot nastier than it had. "Good news. The lizard one likes me." He said with a grin.

"That's good. Mole is the one that you need to have like you. No one pisses off Mole. Well except for Alec and Max, but they get to." Sam said. "Everyone likes them."

"I like Mole." Dean said. "He plays a mean poker." John laughed at that.

"Come on, let's get ourselves some rooms and figure out what we need for them." The list of defensive weaknesses he'd already pointed out would keep them busy for a while. Then he'd lay down what else he found. If his boys were going to stay here, they would be safe.

"Guess we need to score some more iodine tablets." Max said to Alec. She was still waiting for Winchester to flip on them.

"We can pick some up on the way back from work." Alec said. "Although I have a feeling we need another kind of job to bring in enough money to fix things around here. Inside, anyway. Have to be careful what we fix outside."

"Thought everything was supposed to be simpler here?" Max said. "We'll figure something out, we always do, right? We're okay right now, so I can concentrate on the important things. Scoring my two luxuries. Bathtub. And a real bed."

"Those your only two luxuries?" Alec asked with a smile. Things were going better than he had thought. Winchester was in, the boys were safe, and everyone was pulling together. Don't think about the sword of Damocles hanging over all their heads. Just keep it to the now and maybe just maybe it would all work out.

"My bike is a necessity." She said. "It's not a luxury, so, yeah, pretty much." She didn't wear makeup. She bought trendy clothes only when shopping with OC. "I took a peek at some of the unclaimed rooms, they look....about expected for rooms that have been abandoned for so long. Gotta say, I was surprised Mole of all people jumped on the Winchester band wagon so fast."

" Winchester is military. He thinks like a soldier. That's gonna appeal to soldiers, Max. " Alec understood her lack of trust. But he had a good feeling about it. Almost losing the boys again had woken the man up. He'd do what it took to protect them. And screw over the ones that wanted to hurt them. The last was what made Alec trust him.

"Yeah, I guess." Max said. "Come on, let's go round up some supplies, we'll worry about how to pay for the rest of it later. Food, iodine, and my luxuries. Then maybe you can convince Dean to splice in cable for you." That was one of Alec's luxuries, she knew that.

Alec slipped an arm around her shoulders as they walked out. "It's gonna be okay, Max. I promise." He told her, knowing she was worried.

Sam looked at his father and brother. "So this is home now." He said. "You know I never thought I would say this, but I am glad not to be going to school right now." He grinned. "Guess that means I go back to borrowing books and stuff."

"I'm sure I can find some independent study for you both to do." John said as Dean made a face.

"And here I thought I got out of it all." He said as John laughed. John felt...lighter somehow. Like a weight had been lifted off him somewhere along the way.

"So are we back to training and stuff again?" Sam asked. At the moment he didn't mind so much. If anything was coming at them, he wanted to be able to help defend his friends and family, and not be a burden. It was different when it was just the hunt.

"We are." John said. "It's a little town in here, lots of places to go running. Man made obstacle courses from all the debris, lots of places to shoot." He wanted to see what the initiation had done to his sons.

Sam nodded. "Okay. Do you think we can convince them of the truth eventually?" He asked. He knew that they were having a hard time believing in the supernatural. It made sense, science always conflicted with what it considered superstition. And well… transgenics were the product of pure science.

"I don't know, son." John said. "But we'll keep them safe from it anyway.." Manticore, Familiars, the supernatural, John had his plate full.

"Well, I for one am glad that it's returning to normal for us." Dean said. "This place isn't so bad, even if we have to take pills."

"It should be sufficient to keep us safe. And no one is going to expect me to have brought you here." John said and normally this would be the last place he would go.

"Hey," came a gruff voice, "welcome aboard. Why don't ya let me show ya around?" Mole said around the cigar. "And you can point out those weak spots you noticed as we go."

Dean grinned. "Hey Mole. Dad, this is Mole. Mole, this is our dad, John Winchester. I figured you two didn't get really introduced with all the yelling and stuff." He said.

John nodded at Mole. "Sounds good. "We'll go check out these weak spots, come on boys. I'm going to show you what I look for."

"Yes sir." was the automatic response from both boys.

Mole nodded in appreciation. "Alright them. Let's see what we can do to get this place in shape." He said as he started to walk. He didn't view his fellow transgenics as weak, he just figured most of them had forgotten they were soldiers, not ordinaries. There was no world of peace. Not for anyone. It was more so for them.

"So this is the east fence." John said. "See how it's starting to corrode? The amount of rain we get, it'll rust away in less than a year, and the radiation makes it worse. We should order iron. Iron should hold up well, especially if it's heat treated and blasted with salt."

"I only got two problems with that. Who can afford it? Because in case you haven't noticed, we pretty much scavenge everything around here, and if we did order it, having it delivered and installing it would draw attention. So… assuming we can get past the first hurdle… I mean a little larceny is good for the soul after all… how do we go about doing this undetected?"

"We fortify the sewers last. Bring everything in through there." John said. "Metal working plant has a huge sewer outlet. Stay on the industrial line and it's pretty wide, not to mention unused. I figure we can skim off the slush funds for things we need to buy."

"Black market." Dean said. "People don't care who they sell to as long as they get paid. Trust me."

"Sounds like a plan to me. What's next?" Mole said, listening to the man, not only for his insight into their security problems, but making sure he hadn't made a mistake by pushing for him to be allowed to stay with them there in TC.

"Can only hide activity in here for so long." John said. "Especially as more transgenics and transhumans start to filter in, someone's gonna give it away. We'll need weapons. Military grade, none of those bottle shooters you can get in the streets. Anti aircraft defenses, maybe some radar, cameras at the perimeter, start a depot of our own. Since the collapse of the economy, a lot of bases were vacated without clearing out. Depots were just abandoned, not hard to secure some of it."

"I'm thinkin' we should come up with a site B while we're at it. Some place that ain't so obvious. Right now this is fine, but later on when everyone sorts it out, it's gonna get hairy and one day they will storm the gates." Mole said nodding at everything John was saying. "Never put your eggs in one basket. Not when it's survival that's on the line."

"Like I said, there are some abandoned bases, but I don't think some of your buddies will go for that." John said with a shrug. "At least here they can pretend they're still in the real world. Apartments and everything."

Dean just walked beside Sam, absorbing everything. "Dude, they're like BFF now." He said to Sam with a chuckle.  
"I think it's great." Sam said. "I like Mole."

"At the end of the day, they want what everyone else in the world wants. A chance to wake up and see the start of the next one. It gets ugly, they'll move. We just gotta make sure it's not someplace Manticore or your buddies in the government will figure out easy. So how big is this slush fund you were talking about?"

"A couple hundred million dollars." John said. "Gotta love the funds they set aside for black ops. Can never be accounted for, no such thing as receipts then. Easy to transfer from one account to another. That enough for some iron and weapons?"

"And a few… creature comforts… " He said with a grin. Thinking of food, cigars and iodine pills. He was definitely liking having Winchester around. This could be good. "We'll have to start checking out these bases. See how far we can get away from the beaten path."

"Get some beer and you're on." John said. "The boys stay here though."

"Dad." Dean said.

"No, until it's safe, you're in here. It's a big place, it should be hard to get bored, right?"

Sam looked at his brother then back to his father. "We gotta let him splice in cable or he will never stay put." He said "Trust me… he gets bored really easy… you know… like Alec." He said so that Mole would at least understand.

"Cable is a good thing." Mole said after a moment's thought. "Right up there with locks on a door if we have to in order to keep people where they ought to be. Alec gets into trouble, but he can get out of it… usually. You don't want to go getting into trouble right now, Kid. Not just you that would have to pay for it."

"We'll get cable. It'll be the easiest thing we'll do. Internet too, we should know what's going on outside the gates. 24/7 news channels, something's bound to leak before it happens." John said. "Looks like we got our work cut out for us. How much convincing do you think it'll take to get some help?"

"Not much. We're all going stir crazy around here anyway. Come on, let me introduce you to some of the guys." Mole said and led the way back toward those he knew would be helpful.

"Joshua!" Sam exclaimed and ran for the canine transgenic. "I missed you!"

"Little little friend!" Joshua said and easily picked Sam up when he came running over and gave him a huge hug. "Joshua was worried. "

"Yeah, we were worried too." Dean said, giving Joshua a hug after he put Sam back down.

"We're gonna stay… my dad too." Sam said. "We can all be together. Are you still painting?" He looked over his shoulder at his father. "Joshua does great paintings. Alec used to sell them for, like, thousands of dollars."

"Joshua still painting." Joshua said. "Joshua #357 is about little friends. Joshua #408 will be about little friends coming home." He decided.

"Dude, we're in art. That is so cool. Isn't that cool, Dad?" Dean said with a grin.

"Ahm, yeah." John said, not sure how to take Joshua. He saw a great deal of intelligence in those canine eyes. But the speech patterns said otherwise. He would bear watching. Although maybe Sam would stop hounding him about getting a dog now. "I wouldn't mind seeing that painting."

Joshua looked at John carefully. He remembered Max and Alec talking about him, Max was convinced the man was insane, and a danger to everyone around him. "Joshua paints from here." He said, touching his chest over his heart. "Little friends are here too."

"Good to know." John said. "That's where I keep them, too."

"Joshua was the first." Sam said. "He doesn't have a bar code or anything. I wonder how much of us are in there."

John looked at Joshua. Maybe height, he thought. David was tall. He thought about his other son, a wave of regret and pain passing through him. It was disconcerting to say the least that he was in a compound filled with genetically engineered creatures, and his sons had been the template more or less.

"Joshua's good people." Mole said. He thought he was a little too trusting for his own good, but figured that was the canine DNA. It also made him loyal and protective. If Winchester wanted someone to protect his boys he could do far worse than Joshua.

"I'm keeping my mind open." John said. "Promised the boys." If he could go on patrols with a man sized lizard, a canine man wasn't that far of a stretch.

"Yeah, me too." Mole said. Normally, the last person he would be standing around talking to would be an ordinary. Revved up or not, Winchester was an ordinary. But he was a useful ordinary. He didn't think either of them would get past their prejudices entirely, but they could work together. They had their own to protect and as long as their own insisted on mingling, then they would have the same agenda.

Dean ignored Dad and Mole, they were getting into sentry mode, and that's the one thing he hated. Because it was during sentry mode that Dean had to try and stay still and quiet. While doing nothing. So he talked to Joshua instead. "And then, I got sent to an all boys' school."

"Yeah, Dean whined because there weren't any girls around." Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean forgets about cooties. Girls are loaded with them."

Joshua stopped. "Really?" He said. "We have to tell Alec. When Joshua had fleas, they took a long time to go away."

"Depends… is he getting Max cooties or some other girl's cooties?" Sam said. "Cause… I don't think it's as gross for Alec and Max… "

"Now he's just making up rules." Dean said with a laugh, remembering that stage. He was glad he got over it though.

"Just Max coo-ties." Joshua said, drawing out the unfamiliar word. "Max's are okay, but no other girl? How long do they last? Should we warn Alec anyway?"

"They last until puberty." One of the passing transgenics said. "Cooties are in the eye of the beholder."

"They are not!" Sam insisted. "Cooties are real. Tommy Randall told me how his brother got sick because he was kissing girls."

Joshua scanned the area until he found Alec and dragged him over to the group. John stiffened, he couldn't help it. Just on account of whom Alec looked like.

"Sam. Tell him." Joshua insisted. "He has to be warned. Tell him. We don't want Alec to get sick."

"Alec knows about cooties, don't you? You know… girl cooties. Joshua didn't know anything about them."

Alec did his best not to smirk. "Cooties huh… well… I think you get immune to those later on. Or they go away or something."

"Nuh huh." Sam said. "A friend of mine at school told me that his brother got sick cause he was kissing on a girl. Cause of the cooties."

"Dude, I think that was mono." Dean said. "Girls grow out of cooties around thirteen. Then they jump to the little kids."

"That's not what Tommy Randall said." Sam insisted.

"Sam." Alec said as he knelt down to look Sam in the eyes. "Do I look sick at all? Trust me, if grown women had cooties and made all the guys sick then there wouldn't be any kids cause moms and dads wouldn't be able to …. be… moms and dads."

Dean snickered at that. "He's got a point. Dad, did Mom have cooties?"

"Your mother most certainly did not have cooties." John assured his sons.

Sam looked dubiously between the three of them. All boys knew that their friends knew more about life than their parents. Especially when it came to things like cooties, and what kind of meat was really used to make hot dogs. "Yeah… okay… so at 13, huh? Just… automatically goes away at 13? Sounds fishy to me."

"There are only a limited number of cooties." Dean attempted. "So when girls are born, they automatically get some. But they've got to take them from the older ones."

Sam gave his brother a look. THAT look. "You don't believe in cooties. But I remember you getting sick a lot before… and you were cutting class to hang out in closets with girls."

Dean sighed. "I tried." He said. "But Sam, you can go tell Max she has cooties. She'll love that."

"No matter how much I believe in cooties, I am not telling Max that she has them…besides… she's part cat. Maybe transgenics don't have them at all." Sam said.

Dean was trying not to laugh. He was trying very very hard, because he didn't want to hurt his brother's feelings. So instead he turned to Mole. "You should show my dad your private weapon collection. He'd enjoy it as much as you."

"Well, now that we have that cleared up, I'm gonna go find Max and head off to work." Alec said. "We'll be back later with more iodine pills for you guys." He, too, was trying not to laugh. At least not until he could get to Max and tell her.

"It is an impressive collection if I do say so myself." Mole said about his weapons. "Most of it scrounged cause you ordinaries throw away some of the most amazing shit."

"Not this ordinary." John said wryly. "The only thing I throw away is cartridges when I can't reuse them anymore." He still had the weapons he modified shortly after his wife died.

Sam smiled. "Trust me, he waits until they are completely unusable to toss those out too." One of the first things he had ever done to contribute to the hunt was learn to refill those cartridges.

"So you and Max are together? Logan 's out of the picture? That's good, right?" Dean asked Alec, now that Sam wasn't talking about cooties anymore.

"Yeah, that's good. Logan is … well he's in love with her still, but he's handling it. Just don't bring it up around him. Once your dad lightens up the reins a bit, we'll go get a few burgers and make a little cash."

"Sounds much more fun than ripping off the government." Dean said. "Dad was talking about ripping off slush funds to pay for improvements around here."

"Now that would be hilarious. Although if you ask the government they have about a billion dollars in money already here." He said with a laugh. "But hey, there is more to life than repairs. Like… cable. " Alec said.

"Cable is a necessity." Dean agreed seriously. "Could probably get some satellite reception with one of those towers. Lots and lots of channels."

"Now we're talkin' what do you need to make that happen?" Alec asked. Satellite was something he could get into. They could probably use it to help Logan hack into the uplink as well.

Dean had already spoken to a couple of the transgenics who were more technologically leaning than weapon leaning, and knew exactly what he needed, and started to list them for Alec. "You need paper? It's a list."

"I'll remember." Alec said, and he would too. Like most x5s he had an eidetic memory. If he wanted to he could remember anything he was told, or saw. Sometimes even when he didn't. He definitely wanted to remember the list Dean gave him. "Okay. I will get the stuff."

"Then we'll have cable and the world will be good for a while." Dean said with a laugh.

"Or at least not boring." Alec said. "Gotta get to work. I will see you tonight." He headed out to find Max and go into the office before Normal went ballistic.

"So," Max said with Alec caught up to her, "cooties?"

"Cooties." Alec said. "Sam is convinced that girls have cooties. Apparently some kid he went to school with had an older brother that caught mono or something. Because the whole thing started cause the guy got sick kissing girls. Of course Joshua has never heard of cooties."

"So obviously if anyone's going to be infested with cooties, it's you." She teased him. "Sam's going to spray you down with something later, guaranteed."

"Well he is currently working on the theory that since cats don't have cooties, and sharks don't have cooties, maybe you don't have cooties either." Alec said. "Dean has expressed his pleasure that we're together."

"Of course he did." She said with a grin. "Gives him hope that he'll land the hot girl."

Alec laughed. "Yeah, I don't think he's gonna have any problem with that." He said. "So I have a list of things to get on the way home to splice in cable, and we have to figure out how to get that monster bathtub of yours brought in."

"Don't even tease me." Max said. "You are splicing in cable, so you get your little luxury too." She said with a grin. "Think Winchester 's going to work out?" Max had her doubts, big time doubts.

"I think his only true loyalty is to his sons." Alec said honestly. "So long as we are the safest bet for the boys, he will work out. But I'd keep an eye on him anyway."

"Oh, I'd planned on it." Max said. "I don't trust him any further than Sketchy can throw him. And trust me, that boy ain't strong."

Alec grinned. "Sketchy is tripping most of the time." He said "I think our best bet is to just make sure the boys stay safe and out of harm's way. It gets too hot around here and he will take them and bolt. He still doesn't like our kind. Still has a weakness for the clone."

"Oh, the clone Sammy shot? Yeah, that should be a joyful family reunion." Max said, shaking her head. "We'll just keep our goals mutual. Keep the boys safe, out of the hands of the Familiars and Manticore. Though I'm glad to have them back, he flipped his lid talking about a demon wants Sam."

"Humor him if it means he stays put. " Alec said. "Who knows what he thinks is a demon having been raised in that cult. Whatever it is, it probably is after Sam with the kid's luck."

"Yeah, except he's good buddies with Mole. You know, the desert operative whose sole solution to everything is blowing shit up?" Max pointed out.

"Who knows what he saw?" Alec said. "We've got some freaky stuff out of Manticore, who knows what that cult came up with along the way? Considering the whole Manticore project came from the cult in the first place. I don't know. He doesn't seem all that crazy. I mean paranoid yes, but delusional? I don't think so."

"Let's hope you're right." She said as they approached JamPony. "Dammit." She said, stopping and pulling Alec aside. "Manticore's in the area."

Alec swore softly and took a deep breath to slow the hammering of his heart. "Okay… guess we're calling in sick today." He said and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head . He turned around and found the next corner to move around. "How'd they trace us to JamPony?"

"I don't know that they're tracing JamPony or just doing sector sweeps." Max said. "We've got transgenics in there. You go warn the others to law real low, I'll get them out." He was understandably freaked about Manticore. She wouldn't push him into this.

"That's what phones are for." Alec said as he took out his phone and called Dean's cell phone number. He knew for certain that the kids would still be at TC. He was freaked, but he wasn't going to back down. Their people needed them in there. His unit.

Max shook her head as Dean answered the phone. "Need lines to sweet talk Maxie already?" He teased. They were supposedly doing independent study (a familiar way to home school back in the day for the Winchesters), but since Dad was off making sure they were getting what they needed, Dean was slacking.

"No, I need you to let people know that Manticore is swarming Seattle . They are doing a sector sweep, so everyone there needs to keep their heads down." He told him. "Especially you guys."

"We will." Dean said. He didn't have any memories of Manticore. He knew it was a bad place, and they'd stolen twenty seven years of his life, but there were no real memories attached. "What about you guys? You guys headed back here? Like soon?"

"After we make sure everyone in town is safe and secure." He said. "Not gonna leave my unit hanging." No matter how much his PTSD was triggered. He was an officer. That meant more than extra duties and privileges in the prison they grew up in. It meant responsibility. Something Max had never understood about him. He avoided it in the real world because he had lived his entire life under the pressure of it all. Now it was time to take up that mantle again. Personal fears didn't have anything to do with it. Not now.

"Just remember you've got a unit back here." Dean said, he got it. He wasn't an officer, but he was an older brother. And sometimes he felt like the most adult Winchester in the first place, including his dad.

"Don't worry about us. We don't plan on anyone getting caught today. Just stay put no matter how bored you get. I'll report in again later."

"Got it." Dean said and hung up so he could spread the message.

Max looked at Alec. "You sure you're okay with this? I mean, I'm not sure I'm okay with this." She had her own share of PTSD.

"Nope. Not okay with this at all, but since when has that had anything to do with it? If we don't get them out of there, they'll go through what we did, at best." Alec said. "Just have to get them to keep their heads down."

"How do we get in there?" Max asked. "Without causing any attention? They probably have our pictures and everything."

"How do you feel about shimmying in the bathroom window?" He asked her as he led the way around to the back of the buildings.

"There are worse ways." She said as they got to the back alley, where a window to the second floor bathroom was. The first floor bathroom didn't have a window, much to everyone's complaint. "Can't wait to see what this bathroom looks like."

"Come down and let me in the back." He said. With his luck, he would climb into the bathroom window and some girl would be in there and he would wind up causing more of a stir than they needed.

"I am so getting my bathtub after this." She grumbled as she climbed on top garbage cans and grabbed onto loose molding and grout, making her way up the wall until she finally got into the abandoned second floor and made her way down.

"They're looking for you, boo." Cindy said, spying Max in the shadows. She was clutching files to her chest, Max's and Alec's. "Only a matter of time before Normal gives you guys away."

"Don't doubt it. But I've got some transgenics to get out of here. Go let Alec in through the back." She said.

Cindy made her way to the back and cracked open the door. "Better hurry, Manticore's not that dumb, they gotta know we've got a back door."

Alec slipped in quickly. "Thanks." He said as she closed the door. "Okay… we have several others inside. Is Manticore actually inside the building?" He asked. "Or are they just hovering out there?"

"Hovering right now. Since Normal hasn't heard of their agency, he's not letting them in, thinking it's a crank." Cindy said. "Don't know how long that's gonna hold out. Especially once White realizes what's going on, he's from an actual agency you know. Look, what other files do I have to pull? I pulled yours and Max's."

Alec gave her the names of the other transgenics working there. "Tell them to put their helmets on before going, even if they are walking the bike or motorcycle out. I'm heading up stairs to check things out just in case we have to hole up. Be careful." He said, taking the files from her to destroy. "Oh, hey did Normal set this place up with fire alarms?"

"It's got a sprinkler system. It's an old building. Normal too cheap to actually hook it up to an alarm system." Cindy said. "You get this going, whatever you're doing, I'll grab the files."

"Bring them upstairs." Alec said as he headed up the stairs. He didn't want to burn the place down, so it had to happen some place that would only really damage the upstairs. As little of it as possible. It also couldn't look like arson.

Once upstairs, he spent a little time looking around. "Max." He called out softly as he looked around and found a few things that looked promising. Very promising. By the time the fire department was through no one would really be able to tell that the place had been disturbed at all.

He turned on the radiator in a far corner, and then went to get the old painting supplies that had been stored up there. A logical accelerant and a logical heat source.

" Normal is going to flip." Max said, seeing what Alec was eyeing. She had been keeping a look out, looking out for any move from Manticore. "But it should work." She said as Cindy came up with the other files.

"Here you go." She said, handing them to Alec. "I've set the file cabinet under one of the sprinkler heads too."

Alec rewarded her with a broad smile. "You rock." He told her as he ripped the files into small pieces as though they were tissue paper. Once the radiator was heated as high as it would go, hot enough to blister skin, Alec mixed the paper bits with the painter's rags, which were laden with turpentine and oil paint. The cans were set around it in a seemingly haphazard way that would focus most of the heat around the papers and rags.

He held a lighter close to the radiator until the rags caught from the heat and flame, then covered it with a nearby tarp, again haphazardly. It would contain the burning paper fragments, and rags, preventing the fire from spreading too far before the fire department could arrive. He waited until it was good and hot, then went to hold his lighter under the nearest water sprinkler.

Max watched outside. "They're getting ready to move." She said, reading the lips of the men.

Cindy held a now empty folder over her head as the sprinklers went off. "Damn. Original Cindy just got her hair done too."

"Go." Alec told her, "We'll meet up later at the bar." He pulled up a hoody that covered his bar code and most his face. "They'll notice if you aren't out there giving Normal what for." He looked to Max. "Let's get our people out of here."

Cindy snuck back down the stairs and found Normal . And immediately began ragging on him about her hair. And her clothes. And her shoes. All the while the water was pouring out of the sprinklers and Normal was trying to save packages and organize a calm evacuation. Which wasn't working.

"I so deserve my bathtub now." Max said as she started rounding up the transgenics.

Alec got them their helmets and gave orders on where to rendezvous later. They were soon leaving the building on their motorcycles, earning the pleasure of Normal as they grabbed packages to take with them, mostly as cover but he didn't know that.

Lydecker's men were on foot, circling the area. By the time they could get into vehicles and pursue, the transgenics were out of their reach.

Max took off her helmet a few miles away and shook out her hair, exhaling in relief. "That was a close one, Alec. It's like all the nets are dropping at once."

"Yeah I know. We may not be so lucky next time. We need to call everyone together and start working on contingency plans. Lydecker isn't going to give up just because he couldn't get in there once. Especially with there being such a convenient fire."

"The only thing close to a contingency plan that we have is the old military base." Max said. "All we want to do is just live. And I'm getting sick of defending myself to everyone outside TC."

"Right now we have very few choices. Keep on hiding in Seattle, while Lydecker and White race to see who can take us first, we can fight back directly, which would wind up with us becoming exactly what they say we are, or we can find some place to hole up and ride out the storm."

"Is there such a place?" Max said, shaking her head. "We were all created in a lab, we're all the enemy once people like Lydecker and White start spinning it. Lydecker wants us all herded back to Manticore. White wants us all destroyed. Either way it's not a good outcome. I don't know? That base Winchester was talking about? If it's remote enough, might buy us some time."

"That's about all we can hope for." Alec said. "In the mean time, we need to gather everyone up and make sure they know to keep their heads down until this blows over."

"Yeah, that should be a piece of cake." She said as she and Alec started calling all the transgenics they knew. Since they'd roped a lot of them into Jam Pony, it wasn't hard to track most of them down.

Several hours later they were all back at Terminal City , and the place was in an uproar.

"Look, I'm not saying move today... but we need to make sure we have someplace to move to and a way to move there if things get any hotter. We almost lost a lot of people today."

"Then we need to start scouting." Mole said. "We've got some covered vehicles. I say we start scouting and see what we come up with. Check out that base, anything else we come up with. Volunteers are with me."

John nodded. "I'm with you. You boys stay here." He told Sam and Dean, giving a look to Max and Alec. An unspoken, unnecessary take care of them.

"Dad!" Dean protested. "Come on." It was like house arrest.

"He's got a point." Max said. "Manticore and the Familiars want you two. You're staying put until we get a feel for everything. Besides, there's tons of stuff to do around here. We've got displaced people, weapons to clean, and fix. Restocking.....I'm really not making this sound good."

"There is also the weekly card game down on the first sub level. They will be out two players since Mole and I are gonna be gone. You and Max can sit in." Alec told Dean. "And you can help them set up the computers. A lot of the stuff we have scavenged is pre pulse and a lot of us aren't familiar with it." He told Sam. Not entirely true but true enough.

Dean sighed. "Fine." He said. Left behind again. Treated like a kid. But at least he got to play cards. Some consolation prize.

John nodded. "We'll leave in about an hour, that good?" It would be good to breathe some air that wasn't radioactive.

"That's good." Alec said and assigned someone to go and get two volunteers to go with them, someone else to get the vehicles ready and assigned another X5 the job of getting over to Logan 's place... formerly Joshua's place, and tracking down a few more options for them. "I'll expect a report when we get back." He was sliding back into officer mode. It was what he was designed for. Leading covert operations and assassinations. He didn't question that he was becoming less the carefree troublemaker, and neither did those who had grown up with him or trained under him.

"Expect a report?" Max teased him as everyone moved out. She understood the sentiment. It was the phrasing. Way too military like. She'd imagined some sort of community, not a platoon.

"You grew up out here." Alec said. "How you and I and Logan all work together is normal for you. It isn't for them. For us, really. We've only been out a little over a year." He with a grin. "And not everyone moves as easily between the two as I do." He knew she was teasing, but she had to understand that things weren't going to work her way all the time. It couldn't. "So... you are ordered to have fun while I am gone... " He teased in return. "Make sure Dean doesn't get all the money in the card game down stairs."

"Yes sir." She said with a chuckle. "Though I plan to clean them all out. Just....we're all running away from Manticore now." Manticore was trying to catch them all. And everyone within these walls didn't want that. "So just remember that, okay?"

"We are what we are, Max." Alec said. "We just don't have to be slaves too. Fighting that… isn't going to bring any of us any happiness, and right now… what we are… is what's going to save us."

Max had tried her whole life since running from Manticore to not be a soldier. Not be a killer. Not be some sort of overpriced government made to order operative. And now she felt like she was being forced back into that niche and she wasn't sure she liked it. She also wasn't sure how much she liked the fact that everyone else could slip so easily back into it either. But she smiled. "Hurry up." She said. "I clean them all out, I might be in a good mood after. A really good mood."

Alec grinned. "I like the sound of that." He said, and hurried off to get his own crap pulled together for this mission. He wished Max could see that there was a middle ground. It wasn't an all or nothing. He knew why she couldn't. He understood it. He had been in and out of Manticore for a few years. Away missions had taught him how to slip in and out of soldier mode. 494 could be put away until needed by Alec just as easily as he had been by Manticore. Right now he was needed.

John was packing the stuff he'd need when he saw Alec. He couldn't help it. He looked so much like Dean, probably a mirror of what Dean would look like in just a few short years that sometimes he stared. He wasn't sure how he felt about all of it, but was able to put it all on the back burner for the mean time. Probably forever. He cleared his throat as he threw the pack over his shoulders. "Ready to go?"

Alec nodded. "Yes." He said. "We probably shouldn't take your car this time. They will be looking for it. " He knew that would be a difficult choice because the arsenal he knew was in the trunk. But David would be out looking. And they couldn't afford an altercation with the ... cloned familiar.

John nodded. Everything in that trunk was useful and would probably be needed. But today, the last thing he wanted was to into it with David. "You're right." He said. "So we'll make do with what we can carry, that's all." He'd fixate on that one difference. No matter what the hand was, who might be looking, Dean would never suggest not taking the Impala. He liked to find the differences between Dean and Alec, no...he needed to find the differences.

"So." Alec said with a broad grin. "How long has it been since you've ridden a motorcycle?" He asked. It would be the best choice really, that way if trouble did show up they could split up and maybe someone would make it home in one piece. Not to mention the fact that they had greater mobility.

"It's been a while." John said with a chuckle. "But I doubt they've changed much. Don't worry, I can keep up."

It wasn't long before they were out of Seattle and riding down the road with forged passes and full tanks of gas. Alec hoped this base proved to be the safe haven they all needed. It was supposed to be their back up but he had a sinking feeling it was going to become home sooner rather than later.

Mole was covered head to toe. No piece of scaly flesh was exposed, even his helmet was darker than everyone else's. He would have preferred to take a van or a car. At least then he could smoke a cigar while investigating. But he recognized pulled rank when he saw it, and Alec had definitely pulled rank.

"It's about an hour to the base at the speed we're going." John said. It truly was like riding a bike, you didn't forget. Riding a motorcycle, or being a marine.

"If this place works out, we're gonna need to work out all the alternate routes, and set up a couple of safe houses along the way." Alec said. Things didn't always go to plan, and they needed backups set up for their backups. Places to be secure without leading the bastards to the rest of the refugees.

John Winchester always had a contingency plan. Even when everyone else thought he was flying by the seat of his pants, he had a contingency plan. For example, the night of the initiations. He had the happy plan, where his boys survived and everything was fine and they went on with life. Then he had the plan where everything went south. What had happened closely mirrored the plan he had set up. Escape, call for back up, ensure the safety of his children.

"Sewers run right under the city to the base. Or at least outlet a half mile from the base. We'd have to shore that up and close off that access at some point. There are several warehouses along the way, most people don't bother with, and they're not even worth squatting in." John said with a shrug.

Alec nodded. "Alright then, " he grinned a little inside the helmet, "let's get a move on. " He sped up the motorcycle faster still, confident that the others could match his reflexes and keep up . He pulled off the main road, at the designated point. He could imagine racing Max through these back roads, with their pot holes and sudden obstacles, pushing each other harder and faster- neither yielding... then he cleared his throat as those thoughts woke up the tom cat in him.

They arrived at the base, it was abandoned, so nothing worth anything would still be in there. One of the old Cold war installations that had been hanging on until the Pulse happened, when everything shut down. "They don't build bases like this anymore." John said as he took his helmet off. "The buildings themselves should be fortified and in good condition. This was going to be one of the launching pads if the USSR decided to attack us back in the day. It's an old Naval base, actually spent six months here when I just a bit younger than you, Alec, waiting to go over to Nam ."

"Do you still remember the base?" Alec asked, it had been a long time ago for John, and Alec wasn't sure how good a Familiar's memory was. His own? He remembered everything that had ever happened to him. Even though he told Max otherwise.

"I do." John said. "It's helped by the fact that one base is nearly the same as any other." He said with a shrug as he jimmied off the lock. No one had bothered to break in before, everyone knew anything worth stealing was gone. He opened the gate for Alec and Mole. "And on the plus, yet selfish, side, means I don't have to swallow iodine capsules every day." Or more correctly, his sons didn't have to.

"Yeah, it will be good to get the kids out here." He and Max had spent a lot of time looking after those kids. He knew that John was their father, but he still wasn't sure how far he trusted him where the boys were concerned. He had been brainwashed for a long enough time that he had been willing to risk them to that damned ritual.

"More room to run." John said. Terminal City was big, but it was also decrepit and falling apart. And he knew Dean. Dean couldn't sit still if it were left up to him. Room for the boys, and sure the other transgenic children, to run around would be a good thing.

"Barracks will be familiar to the new escapees." Alec said. "A transition period. It's not easy getting thrust out into your world ... some of us had a few experiences outside... but I think it's been hard on the younger ones."

"They've got barracks." John said. "And on base housing for those that are ready for that. You know, real houses and duplexes." He'd lived with Mary in a duplex for a few years after their marriage, and a bit after Dean was born, before retiring from the Corps for a 'normal' life.

"Everyone can get out for a little sun and fresh air. Until the next round of attacks from one side or the other." Alec said with a sigh. There was no way they wouldn't get caught in the middle again, be it days weeks or months in the future, it would happen. This was just another place to hole up in the mean time. Which meant after everyone was settled they would have to start looking for the next place.

"You might be able to hold this place." John pointed out. "It was built to be held. It was built to withstand attacks and launch counter attacks."

"And that's what everyone needs to believe. It will be easier as we get more refugees. They will be more likely to come if we have a place we can really fortify."

John looked around the base as they walked. "Shouldn't take too much." He said as they walked around. He smiled a bit at the playground they found, wouldn't take much to revamp that at all. Sam would like that.

Alec got on the motorcycle once more and started to tour the base. He wanted to get his own feeling for the place. John would know what the Familiars would look for but he knew transgenics and Lydecker.

John walked the place with Mole, examining infrastructure. "The generator actually works." John said. He knew how to access it, he'd had to back in the day once. It actually had to be looked for, which was probably why it was still there. "Just have to top it off and we should be good to go. Nothing wrong with a few creature comforts after all."

"Now you're talkin'." He said as he lit up another cigar. "Speaking as a creature… I am very fond of my comforts." They were usually few and far between, if the truth be told.

John had to chuckle at that comment. "I wouldn't dream of telling you to stop smoking. I can just imagine you in nicotine withdrawal."

"It ain't pretty, I can tell you that, and for me that's sayin' something. What about you… what's your creature comfort?" He was still trying to sort out this man. So like them, yet his revulsion was so plainly on his face when he wasn't in complete control. Like when he looked at Alec.

"Honestly? Tequila." John said. "Or whiskey. Doctor said a few years back I should lay off a bit. I did for a while, but now I figure now's not a time to stop drinking."

Mole nodded. "Amen to that." He said. "So this thing... you and Alec... that gonna be a problem?" He figured blunt was good. Especially since he liked the guy, and Mole always appreciated the direct approach. Beating around the bush usually meant trouble.

"Probably." John said, just as bluntly. "Every time I look at him, I'm reminded that Manticore stole my sons for twenty seven years and cloned them, took their genes and did things with those genes. Robbed my sons of their lives and robbed me of them. Because Alec is pretty much a direct clone of Dean."

"But you dealt with the other clone pretty well... not trying to be a dick, but... what's the difference if you got that one from the same test tube factory?" He could understand where the man was coming from, but at the same time, it was important that he and Alec keep it stable. Transgenics would side with Alec over a Familiar or a normal any day.

"Because he was an exact clone." John said. "Basically Sam's twin. Dean and Alec, the differences are subtle, but they're there. On a genetic level. Let's say you had a son. And someone kidnapped him, took his genes, and made another person who looked exactly like him, but inside , on the genetic level, was more, I don't know, shark than lizard?"

Mole actually smiled a little around his cigar. "I may not be the one to make that comparison to...for me... I don't see any little Moles in the future. Breeding wasn't allowed at Manticore. They had all the embryos they could want. I'd take a son any way I could get one, clone or not..and if I were to have that son... by some strange quirk of fate... and they made another one of him... a little extra shark in the mix wouldn't worry me unless I had to pay the dental bills, cause with my luck the kid would get the teeth." He said. "But I get it. Alec reminds you of Manticore... reminds you of loss. But he's a good kid. Even if he is an X5. Officers. Go figure."

"Ah." John said. "Problem number two. I was enlisted when I was in the Corps. We used to make fun of the officers." He said with a laugh.

"Yeah well, just remember some of those traits that you find so annoying...actually came from you." Mole teased. He found it hilarious really. "Then again... same could be said for all the human lookin' ones. Your boys... you never have to worry about them being treated like anything but gold in our crowd."

"I was planning on blaming it on the cat and shark and whatever else they spliced in there." John said with a laugh. "But I guess I'm the only parent in existence that knows exactly what their kids are going to look like when they grow up."

"Could use a few scales, but otherwise I guess they're okay lookin' kids." Mole said with a big grin. "Let's see what else we can find while Captain Commando runs around checking the defenses."

"They're great looking kids." John corrected Mole. "I want to check out the armory. I know it's empty, but we can fill it with our own stuff soon enough. I need to make sure it's not with a leaking roof first."

"Lead on." He said, stuffing the stogie back in his mouth, his rifle resting casually against his shoulder. "I'd like to see a full armory again. So how long were you with the CIA? Seems like a hell of a jump from soldier to hunter to spy."

"Does it?" John said as they headed toward the armory. "Not really when you think about it. When you're a soldier, you're hunting what they tell you to, the bad guy of the week. When you're a hunter, you're, well, hunting. And researching, and learning all you can about whatever you're after. CIA? Just more research and hunting. I was a Marine for almost ten years. A hunter from the time Sam was one until about five years after they were taken from me. CIA for over twenty years. I knew how to slip on and off identities like a coat from my years as a hunter, who do you think taught Dean to make fake IDs?"

"I think the kid perfected it on his own. He could just about get me through check points." Mole said as they walked.

"Dean did get pretty good at it." John agreed as they got to the armory and he forced the door open. "I think the student surpassed the master in that area. Okay I don't see any water damage."

"That's a good sign." Mole said. "So what happens when the other one eventually shows up?" He asked. "You know he's going to track you down and probably have a mad on, feelin' all abandoned or something stupid like that."

"I didn't abandon him. I gave him a choice and he made it." John said, with an edge to his tone. "I wanted him to come with us, he chose not to. And I don't know what's going to happen. It'll be messy, however it goes."

"Does he think like you as much as your boys do?" Mole asked. It was important. He wanted to make sure that they weren't setting themselves up for a Familiar invasion.

"David was raised differently than Sam and Dean." John said. "Because of that, he doesn't quite have the ability to think outside the box."

"Good. Then with any luck we won't have him knocking on our door because he can figure out where you would have gone."

"He'll figure I'm back on the road." John said. "And it was my original plan before I got shot. Most likely by David, now that I think about it. All my boys are good shots. He'd figure I'd try to get as far away from here as possible."

"Here's hoping he doesn't grow an imagination to go with that intelligence." All clones, no matter what they thought, were created with intelligence. Scary levels of intelligence.

"Or maybe he'll agree with me one day." John said. The loss of David hurt, it did. Clone or not, he was his son.

"Stranger things have happened. You brainwashed him to be a good little Familiar… maybe there is some way to undo that." Mole said. "Although that's usually messy and unpleasant and doesn't always work." Just ask Alec. "Still we have a few from psy ops around."

"So you want me to set my son up to be tortured?" John said. "I'd rather we stay at odds than have that happen. I know all about your Psy Ops. CIA remember?"

"Yeah, remember that next time you look at Alec. He stood up to those bad boys three times. The last time he didn't break… because they wanted your boys. Might give you a better impression of the kid, anyway. So what else is there around here that we need to check out?"

"Nothing." John said. "The barracks and houses we can fix as we go along. Push comes to shove, we can all camp out in the armory if the weather gets bad. So I guess we just wait for Alec then."

Mole nodded and took a seat, getting himself comfortable. He was used to waiting on officers.

It was nearly an hour later when Alec returned, a broad grin on his face. "This'll work. It won't take long to get the proper security up to keep out the latest batch of transgenics and the Familiars."

"Told you." John said smugly, remembering the doubt Alec had had about this place before.

Alec chuckled. "Yeah well, I'm a show me kinda guy. There are places we could even set up small gardens out in the forests. Nothing spectacular, but we could have real food in here easily enough. Which would make life a hell of a lot easier if we are found out and get sieged."

"No kidding." John said. "We'll have to keep our ears to the ground as best we can, see if we can stay ahead of any siege. And make ourselves as self sufficient as possible. The ground should be rested, so growing things shouldn't be too much of a problem. Does anyone know how? It is harder than it looks, you know." There were plenty of farms where he had grown up. Or at least there were. He hadn't been a farmer himself, but most anyone in Lawrence worked in some capacity on the neighboring farms when they were teenagers as summer jobs. It was that, or the town pool, or the grocery store.

"We know how to do a lot of things." Alec said. "Farming isn't one of the things we actually had to try but we'll sort it out. " He could tell them the ideal chemical composition of the soil, he could test the soil to see what they needed to do to fix it, could tell what plants would grow best also due to chemistry. Everything else was printed on the package.

That didn't mean he could farm in this rocky terrain and he knew it. But they would just have to try.

"We won't depend on it for the first year or so... which means we need to jack some supplies."

"Which is what everyone's been doing anyway." John pointed out. "So at least you all have practice with that."

"Oh yeah. And if we are careful we can hit some big fish out here on the road."

"Billions of dollars of R&D culminating into highway robbery. I know a few conspiracy theorists that would get a kick out of that." John said.

"Not the first time we've been used that way. Just this time it's for us." Alec said. He grinned. "The boys get fresh air, Max gets her bathtub, and the rest of us get to stand back and take a breath. It's a good set up. We'll make it work."

"We don't have a choice." John said. "Well, maybe we do on Max's bathtub, but that's your issue." He said with faint grin. He never felt older than he did right now. He wondered if he'd live long enough to see Dean be the age his clone was right now. He wondered on David, if he'd ever understand. Or was he too brainwashed to even try? And if he was, that was John's fault also.

Alec caught the look in John's eyes. It was brief. A flicker of pain that was gone instantly. Shoved down and buried from view. He had profiled John repeatedly. The man they were afraid of raising the boys, the man that had come to TC for sanctuary, the CIA agent, the military man, the hunter. The one consistency was family. And there was only one thing Alec could think of that would cause that look. He hoped John resisted the urge to find his other son... the clone of Sam. "Come on... let's head back home and break the news." He said.

"They'll be elated that for once some good news is being brought into the City." John agreed as they headed back to Terminal City, through the secret ways that weren't being protested at right now.

Alec called a meeting and got everyone in one location- except for those standing watch, and explained the location and the plans. He hadn't been elected leader. He knew that most would figure Max for the job because she had been free longer. That and she was pushy. Not that he minded or would mind if that came down as the popular vote, but leading was what he had been created for, and unlike Max, he had stuck around long enough for the training. So he stepped up to the plate instinctively and stood there waiting for the questions, and reactions to begin.

Dean sat along the side and just watched everyone. He thought it was a good thing. If only because his father and Alec had worked together on this idea. Along with Mole. But some weren't so sure.

"We're fine here. They can't get in here." One piped up. "How do we know this isn't a Familiar or government trap?"

"We have to stop thinking like civilians. We are living in a base that is under siege. They are keeping us in as much as we are keeping them out. But it's all over the news. How long do you think it will be before the Familiars or Lydecker show up and batter their way in here? How long before the people out there become so paranoid about us that they decide to take matters into their own hands? We can't protect the airspace. Drones can get in here easy as hell. I know that's what I would do. Bomb the hell out of the place using drones. Can you say that the people that made us can't come up with that same simple plan? This place isn't safe." He told them "How do we know it's not a Familiar or government trap? Because it's my idea. Do I look like a Familiar to you?"

There were murmurs through the crowd at that. Alec, after all, was an officer. Had commanded many of them on the front lines during different ops.

"You heard him." Max said. "Let's start breaking down this place. Get moved in by the weekend."

People dispersed and set to work. Alec smiled and hopped down from where he was standing and walked over to Max. "Thanks." He said as he slipped an arm around her. Those that had been dubious had been pulled in line by her backing him up. "There are bathtubs." He told her as he kissed her hair.

"Well that makes it worth it then." She teased. She wasn't one hundred percent sure about this idea. But she WAS one hundred percent sure they couldn't stay here.

"We'll still have to be careful... keep an eye on satellites so that everyone is out of sight when they pass over. Keep things camouflaged, but it beats the kids playing in toxic waste." He didn't just mean the Winchesters either. There were transgenic babies being born.


End file.
